


Chains That Bind Us

by Eternalflames14



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Guilt, Homophobia, M/M, Physical Abuse, Relationship(s), Shameless Smut, Underage Drinking, be prepared for the smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-09-11 06:05:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 58,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8959735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternalflames14/pseuds/Eternalflames14
Summary: Axel wasn't someone who did feelings. Plagued by fears and incidents from his past, Axel refused to become close to anyone besides his small friend group and siblings. For years he had pushed others away, leaving him on his own. That was, until a stranger ran face first into him on the first day of his senior year of high school. Can one blonde boy force him to conquer his fear of feelings and push beyond his haunting past? Roxas had lived his whole life on the islands until his parents had died, causing him to move to the small metropolis of Twilight Town. Being a rather shy boy with a serious attitude problem, making friends had never been easy for him. So when starting at a new high school in his senior year, Roxas fears that he will be completely alone, except for the company of his brother, Sora. Colliding with a a certain redhead on this fateful first day however, sets Roxas life into a state of rapid change; pushing him past his comfort zone. Can this be the person Roxas needs to push him out of his shell of seclusion? Updated Weekly! (Hopefully)





	1. Started With A Bang

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Okay first off, thank you for clicking on this! It's my first fanfic so fingers crossed that it's okay. If you have any comments, suggestions, ect please feel free to leave them as they are all much appreciated! Axel and Roxas are my little babies and I'm just here trying to force them together like any good Samaritan would. Also obviously i don't own any of KH, Final Fantasy and anything else i managed to weave into this mess. As much as i wish, I'm not Square Enix. OKAY BYE AND HAVE FUN READING

“Slow down kiddo. I can‘t go home with you all squished. Mom would kill me!” Axel’s hand darted out, grabbing the small shoulders of his younger sister, Kairi; successfully stopping her from walking out into the oncoming traffic.  
“Sorry Ax, you know I’m just too excited! Don’t you remember your first day of high school?” Kairi’s wide blue eyes stared up into her brothers far too green ones.  
Kairi was Axel’s little sister, and she was far too excited for anyone who was going to high school. She had always been an overly excited person, smiling at everyone she met. Kairi was opposite to Axel in that regard. She was bubbly, where Axel was sarcastic. He didn’t care much for others opinions of him, but Kairi lived in the world of popularity. Axel had considered Kairi lucky to be significantly younger than him, as it avoided many associations between the two. Despite the differences however, Axel loved his younger sister, and wanted to protect her.  
Besides Kairi, Axel had an older brother, Reno. He was only two years older than himself, but one would never have guessed that there was any age difference at all. They could have been twins, sporting an identical shade of unruly red hair, facial tattoos, and slim builds. Reno had always been the one to push Axel to better himself. They’d grown up together, playing and rough housing until they either fell asleep from exhaustion or got scolded from one of their strict parents. Two years prior however, everything had changed. Reno had turned 18 and decided to move out across town, getting a new government job. He couldn’t tell Axel what the job was, but it took away from any time that they could have spent together. Axel missed his brother, and often found him wishing that he was still there to spend time with.  
Axel removed his hand from his sister’s shoulder, shuddering inwardly as he remembered just how he had earned his bad boy image. “Sure I do, it was horrible.” Images of the first day of his high school career flooded him. Screams and crying almost overwhelming his ears. The smell of smoke filling his nostrils. Axel could almost still feel the red hot flames that had scorched his skin. It had been four years ago, but it still shook him to the core. The consequences of his actions had been detrimental to how the student body saw him, leaving only a few people able to see Axel for who he actually was.  
It wasn’t that he was a bad guy or a delinquent. In fact, despite his reputation, Axel got straight A’s in school, but with his good grades came boredom. He consistently found himself falling asleep in classrooms and having the homework done before he even got home. This caused more free time than any 18 year old boy needed. Free time gave Axel an unquenchable thirst for mischief. Provided that no one got hurt, causing trouble filled Axel with glee. He was a good guy, but found fun in causing trouble with his tight-knit group of friends. Axel didn’t see a need to try and be anything besides what people saw him to be. What was the point? His image alone was enough to provoke what people thought of him. Axel’s hair was brilliantly red, which contrasted enormously with his extremely green eyes, pale skin, and his mainly black choice of attire. He’d even gone as far as getting two small facial tattoos on his 18th birthday, just to further his already startling image. Might as well give them what they want, he had thought bitterly that day. It had given his classmates a scare when he had showed up to school the next day, and that had created a great fondness for the small, dark triangles. He loved that it caused the majority of his classmates to keep their distance, and more often than not scared them away. In simple words, Axel liked to fuck with people, especially people who didn’t give him a chance to be anything besides a troublemaker to begin with.  
Despite his acceptance of the image that he currently had, that first day of high school way back when however, was a nightmare, and had haunted Axel ever since with the screams and burning flames.  
“Earth to Axel! Hello? We’re going to be late for school,” Kairi yelled, jumping and waving her hands in front of the older redhead’s face, effectively shaking Axel from the haunted memories of the first day.  
“Let’s get a move on then,” Axel knew that they wouldn’t actually be late for class, as Kairi had made them leave over an hour early. He was going into his senior year at Twilight Town’s one and only high school, Kingdom High. One more year and I’m outta here, he thought. The past four years had been a living hell for the fiery redhead. He’d taken a year off after that initial first day as an attempt to deal with the trauma, but it had followed him relentlessly. If it weren’t for his group of friends he never would have gotten to see his final year. Despite his good grades, Axel was an outcast to the majority of the school, and the few friends he had were the life preserver that kept him afloat in the sea that was Kingdom High. His mind started to slip back into the past as he watched his little sister jump excitedly from foot to foot.  
“Yo, Ax!” Axel snapped back into reality at the sound of his best friend’s voice. He only had a moment to brace himself before the dirty-blonde haired boy tackled him to the ground. The boys tumbled head over heels, falling into the manicured grass of the school ground.  
“Nice-umf to see you too, Dem,” Axel puffed, finding speaking to be more than difficult while Demyx was crushing his airway. Moving off the disgruntled redhead, Demyx offered his hand to help him to his feet.  
The grin that spread across the blonde’s face was one that couldn’t be missed by any of the other students in the grounds. Demyx was a force of nature. He was always happy, and had more energy than anyone knew what to do with. With hair styled into a ridiculous Mohawk/mullet combination and eyes that were always dancing. Demyx practically bounced as he walked. He’d been diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, as his attention span was barely existent. He didn’t care if people laughed at him or stared at him. Other people’s opinions had no effect. The pair had been friends for as long as either of them could remember.  
One day when they were in elementary, Demyx had been bouncing in his desk and couldn’t focus on the teacher, who in turn was becoming quickly annoyed with the blonde. Axel had been his desk’s neighbour, and seeing that the teacher was about to lose her patience, Axel kicked Demyx under the desk. Demyx had let out a loud yelp in response. The teacher’s anger shifted from Demyx to Axel, and Axel landed in the principal’s office for the remainder of the day. The blonde had been left sitting in wonder at why the green eyed boy who had never talked to him prior to this, had risked his own skin for him. Demyx had waited around the school until Axel was out of the principal’s office, and when the redhead finally came out, Demyx gave him the last Starburst he’d been saving from his lunch. Axel had smiled and introduced himself, and they’d skipped off to Axel’s house where they spent the evening playing with Lego until Demyx’s mother had come to pick him up. They’d been friends ever since.  
Unlike Axel however, Demyx wasn’t brilliant in school, and when Axel left for the year, Demyx lost focus in classes, which caused him to be held back for another year. Yet when the two were reunited, they were practically inseparable. Wherever Axel went, Demyx followed close behind. Every teacher they’d ever had loathed the day the class lists would come out, in fear that the “two terrors” would both be in their class.  
The boys, who were widely grinning at each other, began their walk towards the school. The building was huge, with large brick walls and a neatly groomed front lawn. It wasn’t a particularly intimidating school, but it was one that a person could easily loose themselves in if they really wanted to. Well anyone besides Axel. He could hear the other students whispering about him as they passed. Axel saw that Kairi had escaped the harsh fate by rushing over to her friend Selphie, who was talking to two boys who looked vaguely familiar. One of the boys had silver hair and looked to probably be a year older than Kairi, while the other was around her height and had brown hair that stood out in a mess of spikes. He watched his sister for a moment, smiling at how easy it was for her to make friends.  
Please don’t let anyone find out you’re my sister. The last thing Axel wanted was for his sister to go through what he did every day. Kairi didn’t need the hardship that would come with being the freaks brother. Reno had gone through it while he was in high school, as many of his friends had stopped talking to him after the incident. They all had sworn at him, saying that he was probably a freak too. It had hurt Axel deeply, knowing that he was the cause of why Reno had needed to move away right after high school. Reno had wanted a fresh start, fleeing the freak-show that was their family, or so Axel believed.  
Axel couldn’t deny that a freak-show was exactly what their family was however. The Sinclair’s couldn’t have been considered normal in a million years, at least, not after someone got to know them. Axel’s mother was a beautiful woman, but one with no backbone. She had a successful career as the local media station’s weather woman. Her career was more important to her than her children however, as she was nonexistent in the Sinclair household except for very late evenings and the occasional weekend. Axel loved his mother, but she was never there when he needed her. Their father however, was not loved. Xehanort Sinclair was what Axel considered to be the devil himself. The two had never seen eye to eye, but after the incident on his first day of high school, Axel and his father did not speak, unless it was Xehanort yelling at him over something or other. Mr. Sinclair was a greedy man, and owned a few dozen businesses to prove it. He provided for the family, but Axel did not feel the need to be grateful for him. The redhead would have rather been homeless than have to live in the house with him any longer. Although Axel was 18, he didn’t think that he could move out quite yet, as he still had to finish high school. The moment that he graduated however, he knew he would be long gone from his father’s crushing presence. Their family acted normal and loving in front of other people and public functions, but behind closed doors, all that was left was pain.  
“Ready for senior year?” Demyx asked, as they just began to reach the doors. His question had snapped Axel out of the sad train of thought that he had been floating along. Lately he had been getting more and more lost in thought, zoning out from the world around him. Before Axel could answer his friends question, a much shorter someone ran into him, causing both his and the strangers books to go flying. The books scattered the staircase, leaving Axel enraged. His temper flared, eyes flashing.  
“Hey watch where you’re going!” Axel shouted. “You stupid pri….” His eyes had finally come off the books he was hurriedly picking up and landed on the piercing ice-blue eyes of a golden blonde haired boy that Axel had never met nor seen, before in his life. The eyes that were hypnotizing were currently narrowed into an angry glare that was directed at the redhead. Axel felt his heart beat quicken, and he felt a deep shiver run up his spine. Something about this boy caused feelings he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt to ripple through him. Why did it feel like whatever it was that was missing from his life, was there now, kneeling beside him?  
The boy didn’t say anything, just grabbed his books and stood up. Axel had hastily followed suit but before he could say anything, the boy pushed passed him, grumbling “asshole” as he moved into the building. Axel’s mouth had dropped into a small “O” formation, his emerald eyes wide and blinking. After a few elongated moments, where the world seemingly stood still around him, he snapped out of his trance.  
“Who the fuck was that?”  
_______________________________________________________________________-  
Roxas started the day angry. He hated that he had to start his senior year at a new school. He missed the small school where everyone knew each other and the teachers who were always so understanding and welcoming. He hated that he had to leave his entire friend group. Roxas missed his friends, Hayner, Pence and Olette. They were what kept him laughing when he was angry or sad, which was most of the time. He hated that his parents died. He and his younger brother Sora, had spent their entire lives living on the islands. All the way up until their parents had died at the beginning of the summer.  
When the tragedy struck, they were taken in by their uncle, who didn’t have any children and lived on his own in the small metropolis of Twilight Town. Roxas didn’t hate Twilight Town, as there was something about the quaint cobble streets that made the entire town feel like home. But he missed the sun and the ocean breeze that came with the islands. Sora was adjusting much easier than himself however, which was why on their first day at Kingdom High, Sora had woken up extra earlier and had dragged Roxas to the tram stop. The apartment was luckily on the tram route, which made transportation to and from school a breeze. They had made the trip a few days prior to the first day of school so that they could get their time tables and make sure everything was set for their first day at the new school.  
The moment they had gotten onto the tram, Roxas had shoved his earbuds in, blasting his music to full volume. Sora had been bouncing from foot to foot the entire way. Once seated on the tram, he continued to bounce by shaking his legs. Roxas shook his head, chuckling slightly at his brother’s excitement.  
Sora had always been the happier of the two of them. He was three years younger, and just starting freshman year. Sora had been immensely popular on the island, and Roxas had no doubt that it would be the same in Twilight Town. It was hard to not like him. His smile was contagious and laughter infectious. Positivity was his middle name, where Roxas’ was the opposite. The brother’s looked almost identical, except their hair colour and eyes. Roxas had a tangle of blonde spikes while Sora’s was chocolate brown. Roxas’ eyes were a paler blue than Sora’s, but both held the same sparkle. On the surface, they were so similar, but as one dived deeper into the two’s personalities, they were completely different.  
As the school came into view, Sora became more excited. Roxas had to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from sprinting off the bus entirely. Sora grinned sheepishly up at his older brother, who only shook his head laughing harder. The brunette had always been good with making Roxas laugh, even after the tragedy when Roxas had been plummeting through a cornucopia of horrible emotions. The boys made their way off the tram, squeezing past the other students. They were all strangers. Well, we’re really the strangers here, Roxas thought, noticing how the other students were staring at them. There was no hostility in the stares, mainly finding curiosity in the eyes that surrounded the two.  
“We’re being stared at, aren’t we?” Sora whispered to his older brother, bouncing along beside him.  
“Yep. Welcome to being a new student,” Roxas whispered back, meeting his younger brother’s eyes and smiling softly.  
“At least it means we’re the talk of the school,” Sora laughed, beaming from ear to ear.  
“That’s a good thing?” Roxas asked skeptically.  
“Absolutely! Everyone always wants to be friends with the new kids.” Sora sounded so sure of himself. Roxas gave a noncommittal shrug in reply, unable to agree or disagree with his brother, as he was unwilling to crush his brother’s hopes. They continued to mill around on the school’s perfectly manicured front lawn, not wanting to go inside and be too early for their classes just yet.  
“Hi there!” A pretty redhead girl said, approaching them. She had large blue eyes and a smile that was warm and welcoming. She was the first one to actually approach the two boys, despite the great interest the student body had apparently taken in them. Sora seemed to be stunned into silence at the sight of the girl. Roxas rolled his eyes at his brother’s inability to speak. Leave it to Sora to lose his words for once in his life around the first person to speak to them.  
“You guys are new to town, right?” The girl continued on, ignoring the silence and continuing to smile at them.  
“Erm, yah! We’re from the islands,” Sora spluttered, regaining his voice. He grinned at the girl, causing what Roxas was sure was a light blush. Oh boy. Sora, completely oblivious to the girl’s obvious reaction to him, prattled on, “I’m Sora and this is my older brother, Roxas. I’m a freshman here and Roxas’ is a senior. What’s your name?” Words falling from his mouth like a waterfall, tumbling down precariously.  
“My name’s Kairi. I’m also a freshman” She smiled at the brunette, Roxas practically invisible.  
“Hey! Kairi!” Another girl came jogging up to the redhead, “Riku’s here! Oh, hi! I’m Selphie. You guys must be new.” Selphie said, tugging on Kairi’s arm.  
“I’m Sora and this is my brother Roxas,” Sora repeated, still smiling widely.  
“You guys should come meet Riku! He’s suuuuuuper cool,” Selphie dragged out. Roxas didn’t dislike her, but he couldn’t stand around the peppy girl much longer before his head began to pound in what was sure to be a ginormous headache.  
“You go on ahead, Sora. I’m going to head inside,” Roxas said, nodding towards his brother. “Nice meeting you both!” He added, trying to regain some manners before excusing himself.  
“Nice meeting you too, Roxas!” Kairi called after him. Roxas gave the three a small wave before heading off towards the school. He put one earbud back in, humming quietly along with the song that continued to blare into his eardrums.  
Climbing the stairs slowly, Roxas became lost in thought. He was happy and hardly surprised that Sora was already making friends. He was Sora after all. Friendship had never been easy for Roxas, as he often kept himself distant from others, and was also why it had been so difficult to leave the friends he did have back on the island. What were the chances that he’d be able to find more people that not only he connected with, but people that were willing to put up with his attitude problem? He hummed idly, reaching the top of the stairs with ease.  
Oomf. Roxas yelped as a larger body came barreling into him at the top of the staircase. Books flew in all directions, as did Roxas himself.  
“Hey, watch where you’re going! You stupid pri…” Grumbled the voice before him. He looked up, meeting far-too green eyes that had been stunned silent. The green eyes were framed by far-too red hair and far-too pale skin. Everything about him was too much. Too much contrast. It hurt Roxas’ eyes to look at. So he didn’t. Roxas quickly scooped up the rest of the books that the redhead had managed to knock out of his arms, keeping his eyes trained on the ground.  
As he finished picking up his books, he stood up swiftly.  
“Asshole,” he grumbled and marched past the rude stranger, purposely knocking his shoulder into the offending arm. Glad Sora’s having better luck than I am with these people, Roxas thought bitterly, barging his way through the doors and into the first day of his senior year.


	2. Empty Seat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel and Roxas have chemistry together. Literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp i finished this chapter early so why not post it? Backstory galore and Demyx. There's lots of Demyx. *cough* dance water, dance *cough*
> 
> I was suggested to double space the formatting, but i have no idea how to do that on here. Any tips or explanations on how to do so are greatly appreciated! Chapters will come out weekly, although i cannot say for sure if it will always be on the same day. Life does have a tendency to get in the way.
> 
> Anyways, I'm pretty prepared for the next couple months so please, enjoy!

Demyx stood in the doorway, one eyebrow arched with a knowing look plastered onto his face. He knew Axel better than he knew himself. His friend couldn’t fool him, no matter what he tried to say. That was why that when they were 16 years old, Axel had confessed his sexuality to him. Demyx had known that Axel was gay for much longer than that, but never once had he pushed the conversation. He had faith that Axel would come to him when he was ready, and he was right. Axel had thought he was being secretive, but oh was he wrong. Despite Demyx being easily unfocused, he’d always been highly attuned to Axel. So when the redhead had become hypnotized by the new kid, Demyx just shook his head knowingly. _Here we go again._

At 16, Demyx and Axel got into the habit of sneaking into college frat parties, drinking way too much beer, then crashing at Axel’s place on the weekends that his parents weren’t home. It was on one of these rebellious nights that Axel had admitted to Demyx that he was gay. It was also the night that he had lost his virginity to a college guy, like the stereotypical 16 year-old, angst riddled teenager he was.

The pair had been drinking heavily that night, but still kept their wits about them. One of the college guys had taken an interest in Axel and had been chatting him up the whole night. The guy had flirted tirelessly. Axel had dared to flirt right back, uncaring who at the party saw the two of them. Axel wasn’t naive, and wanted exactly what this guy was offering. So he figured he had to tell Demyx the truth, so that when he and the older guy wandered off together, Demyx wouldn’t think that he simply ditched him for a cooler friend.

Axel gave up on choosing his words carefully and let the chips fall where they may, as his words spewed from his mouth. “Look Dem, I don’t know how to tell you this but… I’m probably going to go off for a bit with that guy, and well… I’m gay. Very much so. No my parents don’t know about it, and no not a lot of people at school do either. But I trust you, Dem.” Axel winced as he wrapped up his word-vomit, expecting his friend to run away and leave him there, or to start yelling homophobic slurs at him. Growing up in the Twilight Town had taught him homophobia was everywhere, but regardless, he knew he had to take the risk.

Demyx had just stood there and laughed. He knew that Axel was gay long before anything was ever said. Hell, he’d even caught Axel checking himself out occasionally. So he gave Axel his blessing, and grabbing an unidentified object from his pocket, and threw a condom at the redhead. Axel looked bewildered at first, but Demyx had shrugged and said, “Even though you’re gay, you still have to be safe.”

This had caused both of them to double over laughing, and when the older guy came back to fetch Axel, Axel gleefully went with him. Demyx had stayed back, leaning against the wall and sipped his beer lazily, not paying attention to the many men and women who tried to flirt with him. He was happy for Axel, and couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face when he saw the redheaded devil saunter back to him an hour later. Axel’s hair was a mess, clearly a “just fucked” look. His gait was that which exuded confidence and his eyes were heavily lidded, showing signs of both exhaustion and pleasure. Demyx raised one eyebrow at the redhead as he sidled up next to him against the wall in which Demyx had claimed as his own.

“Don’t even ask, Dem,” Axel said, smirking.

“Believe me, I wasn’t going to. You know I don’t give a shit who you’re screwing, but I don’t need details. Hell, wouldn’t matter if you’re gay or straight. I don’t need to know what you were doing with your dick. You were safe though, right?” Demyx exclaimed, although he genuinely cared for his friend’s well-being and felt like he should ask about it anyways.

“Of course. Let’s leave this party though. Guy wanted to cuddle afterwards, and I’m definitely not about that right now.” Axel grabbed Demyx’s arm, not waiting for a response, and dragged the two of them out of the party. Axel hadn’t told Demyx why he wasn’t wanting to cuddle afterwards. He hadn’t gone seeking intimacy for the sake of being intimate. He’d gone for the pure physical contact. Emotions weren’t something that Axel wanted tied along with whatever he did. Emotions were for the weak, or at least that’s what he had believed back when he was 16 years old, and before a blonde boy had stumbled into him, causing the world to turn upside down.

Ever since that night, the two had an understanding when it came to parties. Axel would pick up guys, completely void of any emotional attachment, and Demyx would be his wing-man or be his ride home, depending on what the night called for. Their system worked well for them, with each party getting something out of it. Axel got laid, and Demyx got free booze or gas money. Life of the rebellious teen was easy, and they lived it to the fullest.

 Demyx knew that Axel didn’t care for feelings, despite never being told so, and that the redhead’s heart had been broken before. So the hookups weren’t a big deal. But Axel’s lack of feelings were the same reason that his reaction to the new student had caused Demyx to raise his eyebrows in shock and chuckle slightly. He knew when his friend was in deep, and Demyx could tell that Axel was in way over his head with this one.

“Who the fuck was that?” Axel exclaimed. His eyes hadn’t left the doorway that the unknown blonde had passed through.

“Transfer student, I think,” Demyx said, moving closer to the still transfixed Axel.  It wasn’t often that people moved to Twilight Town, and Demyx had heard the rumors that had been floating around the school grounds that morning.

“I want all the information you have on him,” the redhead said, finally taking his eyes off the doorway and settling them back on his energetic friend.

“Move it along, jackass!” some sophomore shouted from behind them. It was only then that the boys realized they had been taking up the entire entrance to the school.

“Come on, I’ll tell you at our lockers,” Demyx coaxed, chuckling slightly at how startled Axel was by everything that had happened.

Axel followed Demyx into the school like a puppy following his owner with a treat. Demyx lead them to the senior’s hallway. The boys’ lockers were side by side, as they had been for every year. Students got to pick where their lockers were in their designated hallways a week or so prior to class, and Axel and Demyx always made sure they were side by side. Axel shoved all his books and supplies into his locker, spinning to face Demyx as he slammed the locker closed.

“Spill,” Axel hadn’t been this interested in a guy for many years. He knew nothing about the boy he’d literally ran into, but he couldn’t get the ice-blue eyes out of his head.

“Well, like I said he’s a transfer student. Not really sure where he came from. He has a younger brother, who’s a freshman here as well. I think he’s a year younger or the same age as us. I can’t really remember,” Demyx said, tapping his chin as if he was trying to recall something important.

“Dem!” Axel practically whined, dramatically leaning against his locker, acting as if he couldn’t go on any longer. As if the world would end if Demyx didn’t give him exactly what he wanted right then and there. Demyx’s lips quirked up on one side, chuckling softly as his best friend continued to so desperately look at him.

“What?” Demyx said, coyly, feigning naivety to the best of his ability.

“You’re forgetting the most important part!” Axel’s voice rose another octave. He was losing his mind trying to force Demyx to spit the words out. Axel had never been a patient man. He liked getting what he wanted, especially when it came to information. Axel knew that information was power in many cases, and the info that Demyx was purposely leaving out was critical.

“What’s that?” Demyx knew exactly what Axel wanted, but he was enjoying his friend squirm. Axel rarely showed emotion like he was now and Demyx wanted it to last a little bit longer, soaking up the desperation and pleading tone in his best friend’s voice.

Axel couldn’t take the endless cycle of torment any longer.

“His name!” Axel practically yelled, causing numerous people walking by to stop and stare at the two friends. Demyx burst into laughter and Axel’s cheeks took on a faint red tint; something that hardly ever happened. Axel wasn’t easily flustered, but since the run in with the boy, he’d been feeling overwhelmed. Axel knew he was in deep. Knew it as well as he knew that every Tuesday the cafeteria sold tacos. It was a blatant fact that couldn’t be denied. It was terrifying. _And exciting_ , Axel thought, shivering at the realization that someone had caught his attention so badly.

“Oh that… His name’s Roxas.” Demyx watched Axel’s overzealous face settle into one of contentment. It was as if a light had been turned on and everything had become clear. As distracted as Demyx usually was, he found himself hyper-focused on his friend’s features; captivated by the raw emotions he was being allowed to hold witness to.

“Roxas…” Axel breathed, “I got that memorized.” The piercing green eyes were looking far off and into the distance; picturing an image that wasn’t quite there, but getting clearer as he learned more and more.

Demyx couldn’t help the eye roll at his friend’s ridiculous catch phrase. Axel had once justified the catch phrase by saying that as long as people remembered him, he’d live on. He’d be immortal through the memories of others. This was something that Axel took seriously, both in regards to people remembering him, and for him remembering those closest to him. To Axel, memories held power, and that power was everything.

“Come on ya idiot. We got to get to class!” Demyx dragged the still dazed Axel down the hallway to their first class. Chemistry.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Axel was a genius when it came to chemistry, especially when it came to chemical reactions. He liked watching the colours in the glass beakers changing, but most of all, he liked the ones that burst into flame or exploded. Those were infinitely better. Axel had decided long ago that he wanted to go into the field of sciences, what kind was still up in the air, but he knew he wanted to work with flames. The way a single flame could spread, consuming nearly everything in its path fascinated him as much as it scared him. The contrast had caused him to become enraptured with fire, along with some other very personal reasons.

Demyx on the other hand, was not a genius and hated any form of academia with a passion. If it wasn’t for Axel, Demyx would have failed every class, so whenever they had a class together, they sat beside each other, so that Axel could help him out. The one class that Demyx did excel at however, was music. The blonde with the mullet had an unusual talent for music and instruments. He’d been told he was gifted, and had been recommended to apply for scholarships to some of the more prestigious music schools, but Demyx had remained indecisive. He wasn’t ready to leave his friends or the sanctuary of the school he was familiar with just yet.

The boys took their usual seats at the back of the class. They were still about five minutes early, so the two began to talk animatedly about what kind of trouble they were going to cause this year.

 The room quickly filled up. Their other friend, Saix, also had chemistry first period, and took the seat beside Demyx. Saix was quieter than the other two boys, and had long blue hair. The most noticeable thing about Saix however, was the scar that created an X across his face. He’d gotten it from an attack he’d faced one night walking home. Or so he told everyone. No one was really sure of his past, as he was rather secretive about most things. People tended to find him scary and often avoided him at all costs.

 With Saix filling up the chair beside Demyx, the last available seat in the entire room was beside Axel. He wasn’t surprised by this. Although Axel was very smart, no one wanted to take the risk of getting burnt with one of his chemical reactions. Axel liked that his experiments to be on the more dangerous and explosive side of things. What was life without a little risk after all?

“Attention class!” Professor Vexen yelled, trying to calm the loudly obnoxious room of seniors. Professor Vexen had long blonde hair that was parted down the middle, framing a narrow and hollow face. His eyes were small and beady, their colour being an acidic green that consistently wore a look of disapproval in them. This look was most often trained on the three boys in the back.

Just as everyone had finally begun to settle down, the door burst open.

_Holy shit_ , Axel thought. He tried to keep his face neutral, but couldn’t help a slight smirk to form across his lips. _Maybe today will be good._ His heart was hammering a way inside his chest, screaming at him to both jump for joy and bolt to the nearest exit. Axel was leaning towards the former.

“Sorry I’m late,” the blonde murmured, eyes cast downwards causing the golden locks to fall across his face, almost shielding him from the curious eyes and whispers that spread across the room.

“Ah, you must be our new student. Glad you could grace us with your presence. Class, this is Mr. Strife. You can go take a seat beside,” Professor Vexen scanned the crowded classroom until his beady eyes landed on the only chair in the room, “Mr. Sinclair.”

The blonde looked to where the professor was pointing and Axel saw his eyes harden as he realized who he’d be sitting beside. Roxas hitched his backpack up onto his shoulder and quickly made his way to the back of the class, ignoring or avoiding (Axel wasn’t sure) the eyes that once again were glued upon him. Axel could tell that this boy hated attention, and being a rare (and very attractive) new student to a school who hungered for gossip, he was being thrown to the wolves.

Once Roxas was seated into his desk, Axel peeked out of the corner of his eye to get a better look at the mysterious boy. He was wearing a plane white t-shirt with standard blue jeans. His outfit was one that was meant to blend into the background. The only things that stood out were the bracelet that had a black and white checkered pattern, and the converse that matched. His hair was styled into a disarray of spikes that was made to look messy, but Axel knew from experience with his own hair, that it took much more work than what the blonde probably wanted others to believe. _Jesus Christ, he’s hot,_ he thought, subconsciously licking his lips _._ Demyx coughed beside him, causing Axel to tear his eyes away from the blonde.

“Alright class, it may be the first day but we’re going to get into pairs. This will be your partner for the rest of the term so I hope you like where you’re sitting,” Professor Vexen announced. The class erupted into a mixture of murmurs of happiness and grumbles of displeasure.

_Fuck. Yes._ Axel couldn’t help the grin that burst across his face.  He turned to the blonde, grin only widening further as he took in his partner’s face that was contorted into displeasure.

“Looks like you’re with me,” he said to Roxas. Roxas just stared at him, completely void of emotion.

“Don’t slow me down,” was all he said in response. Axel blinked, confused at the hostility in the boys voice. Sure, running into him on the way into school wasn’t the coolest thing to do, but it wasn’t like he’d meant to. Axel decided that even though he didn’t think the incident warranted such hostility, he would apologize.

“Hey, look, I’m sorry about running into you earlier,” Axel earnestly said, attempting to make amends. He knew that his relationship with the new boy didn’t just affect his personal life, but also would determine how well he did in his class, seeing as how they were partners after all.

“You called me a prick,” Roxas’ face was still blank, but he had turned towards the redhead, showing that he was at least willing to hear the other boy’s apology. The edge in his voice had faded drastically, and what remained was something that could have been mistaken for borderline curiosity.

“I’m sorry for that too. Friends say I can be a little hot headed,” Axel smiled sheepishly at the honest remark. _Make him laugh, or at least, smile._

“Then the hair makes sense,” Roxas was smirking a little now. Axel grinned back. Hostility gone: check. Their pair fell into silence as Professor Vexen began to lecture about the periodic table and how it was organized. It was a simple recap of previous required chemistry courses and both boys knew the subject material enough to pay little mind to the words that were coming out of their professor’s mouth.

This left plenty of time for the two to chat quietly. It started with a few jesting remarks about some of the other students and their professor, which caused snickers from both of them, and as class went on, they began to find it easier and easier to talk to each other. It was as if they’d known each other for much longer than a couple hours, as cracking jokes about Vexen, and laughing about nothing in particular felt as natural as breathing. Axel felt like it was as good a time as any to attempt to learn some more information about Roxas, seeing as that he was very quickly becoming intrigued with whatever the blonde had to say.

“So, what do you do for fun, Roxas?” Axel asked, mesmerized by the boy beside him. He figured that by asking some more personal questions he might be able to crack the hard exterior that was Roxas Strife. _Crack the exterior, become friends with Roxas, live happily ever after. Sounds like a plan._

“Um, well, I like to skateboard.” Axel would have sworn the boy blushed as he admitted his favorite past time.

“That’s pretty cool. I’m sure I’d just fall on my ass if I did,” Axel said, laughing as he pictured his long limbs attempting to balance on the tiny board and then falling over himself until his butt was firmly planted on the cement.

“I could teach you, if you want,” Roxas offered. The definite reddening of his neck and ears didn’t go unnoticed by Axel. Was Roxas really blushing at that, and better question, what did it _mean_?

“You know, since we’re going to be partners, we might as well get to know each other,” Roxas quickly added, trying to cover up his awkwardness. It wasn’t a success.

“You’d do that?” Axel’s heart beat a little faster. He’d had one class with the boy and already he was being asked to spend time with him. Was Roxas interested in him, or was he just that desperate for friends? Axel hoped it was the former.

“Ugh- Sure! I taught my ex-girlfriend Namine too, so I’m sure I could with you.”

_Damn it._ An ex-girlfriend didn’t necessarily mean that Axel was completely out of luck, but it certainly wasn’t a good sign.

“Sounds fun to me!” Axel tried not to let the displeasure from the tidbit of information he’d gained, to seep into his voice. The bell rang, signaling class was over. The boys began to pack up, when Axel realized something very important.

“Oh hey, I never really introduced myself. Name’s Axel, got it memorized?” Axel said, tapping his finger to his forehead. He’d been doing his odd routine since he was a kid. Somewhere in his early childhood, he had begun to think that if he was remembered, he would be immortal.

Immortality. He wasn’t so concerned with the literal meaning of living forever, but to be forgotten was one of Axel’s deepest fears, and had been since he was young. Often he wondered if it stemmed from how he had always been mistaken for his older brother, or simply deemed as “one of the Sinclair children”. He never was seen to be his own person, which had caused not only a lack of self-identity, but an inner rage at the fact he wasn’t considered important enough to be remembered. So now, at 18 years old, Axel was determined to be engraved in people’s memories as not a Sinclair, but as Axel. He wanted Roxas to remember who he was too.

“Of course I do. I’m Roxas.” Roxas stuck out a hand to shake and Axel took it almost too eagerly.

“What do you have next, Roxas?” Axel let the blonde’s name melt across his tongue, enjoying the way it felt in his mouth as he spoke it.  Later when he was alone, he’d familiarize himself with the name by saying it over and over again until the feeling no longer felt foreign, but welcomed.

“Um…” The boy opened up his timetable, eyes flicking over the periods organized into neat little columns. “Looks like I have calculus. You?”

“Damn that’s too bad. I have my literature class. But hey, you’re welcome to hang out with me and the guys at lunch if you want. We meet just the back of the school.” Axel wasn’t one for wishing, but he wished desperately right then. Hoping that the blonde would agree for their almost-lunch date.

“Yah, that sounds good to me. Thanks for the invitation,” Roxas smiled up at Axel. Axel’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest at the sight. Never had such a smile been cast upon him. A smile so filled with warmth and welcome. Axel felt that this one smile could warm him on even the coldest nights. He rolled his eyes at his own foolishness. _You’ve only known this boy for a few hours. Stop acting like a love-struck 13 year old girl!_

“Alright! Remember 11:45, back of school. Got it memorized?”

“God, you’re weird, but yes I have it memorized,” Roxas said, tapping the side of his head, just like Axel had done before. With a small wave, Roxas left for his next class.

Axel was left in the hallway, standing their like a moron with a look of pure joy stuck on his face. He didn’t remember the last time he’d felt so elated. Home life was horrid, and although he loved his friends and they made him happy, this feeling was different. The warmth was familiar, but there was something more to it. The quickening of his heartbeat, the sense of longing… All of it was so new to Axel that he didn’t know how to react. He felt dizzy and unhinged.

“Well, I see that went well,” Demyx put a hand on Axel’s shoulder, causing him to jump slightly as he was stirred from his self-reflection.

“He’s joining us for lunch,” Axel smugly said, stilling oozing joy.

“Don’t go too fast, Ax. You don’t know if he’s into you yet,” Demyx warned, but added a wink to soften the reminder. One of Demyx’s main goals for their senior year was to see Axel happy. He didn’t particularly care how it happened, he just wanted his best friend to finally be able to smile fully and without holding back.

“Don’t worry, Dem. I told him you guys were going to be there. Figured since you have such an uncanny ability of sniffing out people’s sexualities, you could scout this out for me.”

“Fine, but you owe me lunch.” Demyx couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend’s words. He didn’t consider himself any better at deciphering people,  but he would humor his friend regardless.

Axel rummaged through his backpack, finding his lunch mixed in with an assortment of books. “Turkey sandwich okay?”

“Deal.”

 

 


	3. What Are Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel introduces Roxas to his friends  
> Roxas get's embarrassed. A lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet and I'm actually decently happy with it. Yay. Also, it's late and I'm editing chapters. Quelle surpris.   
> Anywho....  
> Here's a little side note: I have no intention of this being a slow burn, but I also can't justify just making these two go straight into the banging. So I've fallen into some sort of middle ground. For all y'all perverts out there (like myself) the trashy smut is coming. For now, here's Roxas being easily embarrassed by literally everything and being socially awkward to boot. Enjoy my fellow akuroku fans

Axel couldn’t focus throughout the entirety of his literature class. Visions of liquid blue eyes and a smile that Axel was positive could melt anyone’s heart filled his head. He wanted to be the one to put that smile there. He wanted to receive that smile every day, if he would ever be so lucky. Roxas was barely a blip in his life, but already he consumed Axel’s thoughts. Professor Luxord continuously called upon him throughout the class, but every time, Axel couldn’t come up with the right answer. His mind was definitively set on lunch and a certain blonde boy that had promised to make an appearance. He wondered how lunch would go, letting his mind slip off as the class discussed some poem that Professor Luxord had decided they should all be familiar with.

The first day of school was always filled with introductory material or review, all of which bored Axel to a point where he could have fallen asleep, regardless of any distractions or not. None of his friends had this particular literature class with him. If they had, he would have passed notes back and forth, or whispered quietly to them, but he was alone. So he sat and day dreamed, letting his mind wander openly.

Axel had always loved daydreaming, as it was something that removed himself from reality, and Axel’s reality was worthy of an escape. Home was a dark hole that he had to return to every day. With Reno gone, and Kairi often busy with her friends, Axel was left alone most of the time. His parents were rarely home, and even when they were, his relationship with his father was less than ideal. Life was dreary at best and at its worst was a never ending series of cruel twists and turns. Out loud, he never said a word about his home life, but in his head, he wished for an escape.

 Roxas had the potential of offering exactly that. The blonde was intriguing and something indistinguishable was calling out to him, pleading to be uncovered. For the first time in what had felt like forever, Axel finally felt emotions deeper than the superficial surface that they usually flitted across. His heart had been yearning, for longer than he could remember, to find someone who could ease his pain, and some part of him was screaming that the person was much closer than expected.

While Axel altered his focus between the class and his daydreams, Professor Luxord lectured on, ridiculing the class on not knowing the basics of poetry. Axel had rolled his eyes. He already knew these so-called basics, but found the professor’s lecturing style boring that he couldn’t keep his mind on the subject matter. How could he pay any attention to someone whose voice physically irritated him? Axel shook his head as Luxord then proceeded to yell at a timid girl who sat in the front row for confusing a simile with a metaphor. Lunch could not come faster.

When the bell rang for lunch, Axel practically sprinted to their meetup place. When he arrived, his face was bright red and he was slightly out of breath. Demyx was already there along with two others from their close-knit group of friends, Zexion and Larxene. Zexion was the designated nerd of their group, with his slate coloured hair falling across his face and his nose almost permanently stuck in a book.  He was in all advanced classes, and even took a biology course at the local university on the weekends. Science was a series of facts, and facts couldn’t be disputed. Academically, Zexion advanced well beyond his years, socially and emotionally however, he fell short. He rarely showed emotions, instead being overly analytical and using logic to decipher his problems. In Zexion’s mind, everything was a problem that contained a perfectly logical solution if one took the time to analyze the data.

Yet, where Zexion was logical, Larxene was rash. No one dared to insult her, as they feared the backlash that would doubtlessly come. Larxene was the girl that would seek revenge in the most aggressive and plausibly painful way possible. Blue eyes were often filled with one of two emotions: rage or an extreme level of sass. Her blonde hair stuck up in two antenna-like things, which despite being whispered and judged by the student body, she claimed would be trending in no time. Larxene was by far the most confident in the group, but also the one who was guaranteed to make a snide remark. Axel didn’t hate her, but despite being in the group, she was definitely his least favourite person around.

“Whoa there, fabulous flames. No need to rush. Your boys not here yet,” Larxene scoffed at the red-faced Axel.

“Larxene, I will personally shave your head if you breathe one word about this while Roxas is around,” Axel growled, face only reddening further.

“Okay, okay I’m only joking,” she said, hands raised in mock self-defence but rolling her eyes at the same time.

 Demyx had told the others that the new kid would be joining them at lunch. Apparently, he hadn’t forgotten to mention that Axel was currently obsessing about said new kid. His friends were going to have a field day with that. Axel continued to grumble as he leaned against the school wall and glaring at the blonde girl. Larxene stuck her tongue out at Axel which only elicited more growling. Demyx was busy fiddling with his ridiculous hair to notice the tension building between the two. At that moment, the last two of their usual group came strolling up, Saix and Xion.

Xion was a very short, bubbly girl.  Like Demyx, she almost bounced when she walked, but similarly to the rest of the group, she had a mischievous streak. The good-girl appearance was an act; one that only those close to her knew was a facade. The rest of the school however, believed she only hung out with the group because she had a thing for one of them. Axel had brought her into the other’s company, as he had taken an uncharacteristic liking to her when they had met in his junior year. She was a freshman, and the youngest of the group at the time, but had immediately fit in with the rest of them. Xion’s hair was cut into a short pixie cut and jet-black, all of which added to the appearance of innocence she fabricated. Yet she would rip apart anyone who tried to mess with her and her friends. Xion was loyal, and Axel loved that about her. Besides Demyx, she was the one he was closest to in their group.

“Still waiting on Axel’s date?” Xion asked, feigning innocence by batting her eyes and smiling endearingly at the tall boy. Much joy was found in the teasing of Axel, and Xion took the opportunity whenever it was presented.

“Xion…” Axel warned, eyes narrowing at the slight girl. He loved her, but damn did she know how to push his buttons.

“Man you are so touchy…” Xion said, any innocence gone as she rolled her eyes.

Axel just growled in response. He couldn’t help how anxious he was. He hadn’t had feelings for anyone in many years. He hadn’t really let himself feel anything in years. Roxas had consumed his mind since he had run into him that morning, and it was terrifying.

Being gay was hard enough and being a relatively closeted gay was so much worse. Besides his small group of friends and siblings, no one knew that he was gay. His parents would disown him, if he was lucky. Most likely his father would beat him to death before they even had the chance to kick him to the curb. Growing up in a homophobic household had caused Axel to fear his feelings. Fear had caused repression, which was why he never let himself fall for anyone. Fear was the fundamental reason that he never cuddled, never asked for second dates, and never told anyone the truth about his emotions. Fear created distance between himself and anyone who tried to connect to Axel.

Roxas was different though. Axel wasn’t sure if he wanted the emotions that he had begun to feel, but they thrust themselves upon him regardless of if they were welcomed or not. None of the others really understood what he was going through, since they all were presumably straight. Most rarely dated to begin with, but when they talked about who they were trying to hook up with or date, none of them felt the fear that Axel did. Heteronormativity was a blessing that Axel wish he had. Although Axel had his suspicions about Zexion and some part of him was convinced that Demyx was bi. In the past, Axel had unabashedly checked out Demyx, and there were a few times that Axel was sure that Demyx had been doing the same.

Staring at his friends, Axel couldn’t help the smile that overtook his lips. As much of a pain in the butt that they were, they all truly accepted him and cared for him. Axel didn’t get that feeling often, and to have it from his friends meant the world to him. Acceptance was something that Axel was grateful for, and he knew he was lucky to have friends that had so easily given it. Even Larxene, who he constantly butted heads with, had no issue with him being attracted to guys.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late!”

The group’s heads all whipped around to see the subject of Axel’s affection jogging out of the back entrance doors. Roxas was breathing heavily and the previously perfect blonde spikes were slightly disheveled from the run he had made to meet up with Axel and his friends. Roxas had run over every possible situation that could happen over lunch, and no matter what he came up with, the result was the same. Roxas was convinced that Axel’s friend group would hate him. Years of varying degrees of anti-socialism had caused him to fully believe that there was no way that anyone would willing spend time with him. Being completely uprooted from all things familiar hadn’t helped this belief.

 Roxas wasn’t good with people, and normally would evade any large group settings that he had been invited to. Sure he had friends when they had lived on the island, but that was only because he had spent 17 years living there and simply being around the same group of people for that long had caused friendship to grow. Meeting new people for the first time? That was a different story. He hated it. Today was a different story all together, though. Sora had threatened to have lunch with him and do all manner of embarrassing things if he didn’t find people his own age to have lunch with. Sora was always the one pushing Roxas to step outside of his comfort zone, and as much as he hated doing it, he appreciated the effort Sora put in to keeping him social. If it wasn’t for Sora, Roxas had no doubts he would be forever stuck in his room, playing video games and living off of take-out.

 Axel seemed to be a good opportunity to make at least one friend, and Roxas couldn’t help but be curious about the redhead, so he had taken him up on his offer of lunch as a means to not only make friends, but avoid Sora. His friends however? Roxas wasn’t so convinced about. He knew he was in no position to turn down friends, however. Sure, Axel seemed to like him well enough, although Roxas hadn’t the faintest clue as to why he had taken a shine to him, but that didn’t guarantee that his friends would feel the same. As Roxas approached the group, he knew he looked nervous. To be surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces, was one of Roxas’ worst nightmares, but Axel’s warm smile was reassurance enough for Roxas that lunch was the right decision.

 “Hey Roxy!” Axel said, running over to greet the blonde with a large clap on the back, causing Roxas to flinch slightly. Casual physical contact wasn’t something that either boy was used to. Both were equally surprised by Axel’s own physicality. Axel let the nickname slip out before he could catch himself. His heart beat quickened, terrified at the slight affection he had just shown to someone who was still practically a stranger. Unluckily for Axel, his blunder hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Um, Roxy?” Roxas mumbled. The group watched as Roxas’ face turned beet red under their scrutiny. Demyx was noting every movement and reaction the new boy made, trying to figure out if Axel’s hopes were all in vain.

“What’s the matter Roxy? No one ever give you a nickname before?” _Smooth Axel._ He tried to cover his mistake, playing it off as a joke. To the redhead’s credit, he had managed to keep his cool, despite the inner panic he was feeling.

“Well… erm… no,” Roxas’ blush darkened further as he admitted that he had never been given a real nickname before. In all his previous years of school, he’d kept himself distant from other people, never giving anyone a chance to get to know him well enough, let alone close enough for him to earn a nickname. Hayner, Pence and Olette had always stuck with his full name. No one had even bothered shortening it. Not even his parents. An unfamiliar warmth spread through him at the idea of being special enough to someone to warrant a nickname. As unfamiliar as it was, he liked the sound of it.

“Now you’ve got one! Anyways, this is the rest of the gang: Zexion, Saix, Xion, Larxene and Demyx,” Axel said, trying to push the attention away from himself and onto the others, pointing out each person as he said their name. Being the centre of their little club was fine most of the time, but right then he couldn’t push the focus off of himself fast enough. Everyone waved at Roxas, and Axel inwardly thanked them for welcoming the blonde. Then pointing at himself, Axel added, “You remember my name, right?”

“Axel. Don’t worry, I got it memorized,” Roxas teased back, throwing a wink towards him. The group’s mouths all fell open in unison; Axel’s being the biggest one of all. Where had that wink come from? It seemed completely out of character for Roxas, as he seemed to be a rather shy individual. Axel could practically feel his pupils widen, covering up the green in his eyes. Demyx took the opportunity that the group’s confusion and surprise provided, to pointedly look at Axel, catching his gaze. Axel, abandoning his shock, let a wide spread grin overtake his features as he made eye contact with his best friend. Maybe he did have a chance after all.

“Would you two stop flirting and come on? All the shady spots are going to be taken unless we get our asses moving!” Larxene shouted, giving Axel a look as if to challenge him to say anything to her. Everyone snapped out of the awe they were in, regaining focus on the blonde girl.

 Axel didn’t have to respond though, as Roxas’ eyes darkened at the terrifying blonde girl and said, “What’s it to you what we do? Jealous that Axel and I are friends? Besides, our flirting shouldn’t affect you anyway.” Roxas automatically didn’t like Larxene, and let his snarky attitude slip out, hoping it would shut her up.

Roxas knew he had an attitude problem. Always had. Most days it was Sora who was the intended target of his venomous lashes. Sora would usually tell him to stop PMS-ing and shut up; brave words for someone three years younger. Then Roxas would realize he was being an asshole and stop. An apology for his attitude typically followed. These episodes were always in one on one conversations. In large group settings he wouldn’t usually let it breakthrough so easily, but something about this girl made him want to bite her head off. So he let himself snap back at Larxene. Roxas managed to keep most of his attitude at bay however, only allowing just enough of his sass to slip through to cause her to stop the teasing. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for that one.

The whole group who had only just regained their composure, lost it just as quickly; mouths flying open in dumb-founded shock as they stared at the mysterious teen. Treacherous silence filled the space between them as they continued to stare at Roxas. Axel wanted to smack his head into a wall or disappear into thin air. He wasn’t one to be easily embarrassed, and he was very much into Roxas’ snarky reply, finding it incredibly hot, but he hadn’t expected the words to fall from the other’s mouth. Those words had left him completely in shock. Axel liked a guy who would speak his mind and wasn’t afraid to stand up for themselves. Last thing he needed was for Roxas to be someone easily walked over, and he thanked whatever god may be there that Roxas was apparently not that kind of person. It wasn’t until Larxene started laughing that the silence was broken.

“Wow! You know what? I like this kid. He can stay,” and with that, Larxene flicked her hair over her shoulder, and lead the way over to the group of trees that provided them with enough shade, so that their freakishly pale skin wouldn’t burn under the sun’s hot rays.

Roxas and Axel fell into step beside one another, bringing up the rear of the pack. The lack of speaking didn’t hang awkwardly between the two, as they found the silence quite comfortable as they stayed in step with one another. Axel was still grappling with the words that Roxas had spoken. _Was he acknowledging that we were flirting? Did he like that we were flirting? Was it just a way for him to come back at Larxene?_ The questions pounded against his skull, confusing the redhead to no end.

“Thank you for inviting me to lunch today. I really wasn’t looking forward to having lunch with my little brother and his new friends,” Roxas said, breaking the comfortable silence with easy, mindless chatter.

“You have a brother?” Axel let his genuine curiosity seep through as he took a sidelong glance at Roxas. Discovering things about Roxas was quickly becoming one of his favourite things to do.

“Yep. He’s a freshman. His name’s Sora. That’s actually the reason I was late; he needed lunch munny, since our uncle forgot to pack two lunches today,” Roxas blue eyes lit up slightly as he talked about his brother, a fact in which Axel duly noted. He wanted to remember every minute detail about Roxas, finding him to be completely captivating. Something about this stranger screamed to him that he was meant to know him.

Roxas’ uncle didn’t have children of his own, so parenting was foreign. Errors had been made already, starting with getting them registered for school on time. They had been lucky to get enrolled for the school year, as it had already been full and they had gone to register only a month prior to school starting. Luckily, the boy’s uncle knew someone who worked at the school, and was able to squeeze them in.  The latest error was the packing of lunches. Sora and Roxas’ uncle wasn’t good with packing lunch for himself, let alone two teenagers. So he had forgotten to send Sora with a lunch on the first day of school. Roxas had texted his uncle, who had promised to pay him back if he could spot Sora some lunch munny. Roxas had smiled at his uncle’s response. He appreciated how hard he was trying for Sora and him, even if he made frequently growing blunders.

“Don’t worry about it, Roxy. My friends were excited to meet you. They love new people. Waiting a couple extra minutes to go sit down wasn’t a big deal,” Axel replied, smiling. Axel decided that by Roxas not freaking out too drastically over the nickname, he would continue to use it. Besides, he liked the way it rolled off his tongue.

“You have a pretty big group of friends. You’re lucky,” Roxas looked down at that, refusing to look up into the red-heads eyes.

_If he only knew that the rest of the school either hates me or fears me…_ Axel thought, humming to himself. The boys lapsed back into silence,

Settling under the shade of the large oak trees onto the perfectly manicured green grass, the group unpacked their lunches. Axel only has an orange and granola bar left in his own lunch since he had given his turkey sandwich to Demyx. He sighed as he looked at his dreary meal. Axel was on the skinnier side, but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy eating a good lunch. Known to pack food away, he was often criticized for ‘having a hollow leg’ or something so that he could store all the food he ate.  He was a self-proclaimed foody to the core of his being.  Roxas and Axel were sitting beside one another, with the rest of the group spread out precariously around them, forming smaller clusters inside of the large one: Demyx with Zexion and Xion, Larxene with Saix. The two teens were sitting fairly close to each other for two guys who had only met mere hours earlier, but neither minded. Roxas was distinctly aware of the heat radiating off of Axel and found it to be quite inviting.

“Do you want half of my pb&j? Roxas asked, extending half of his sandwich towards the hungry red-head.

“Thank you,” Axel said, ravaging said sandwich with no mercy.

Demyx, who was seated by Zexion, was unconsciously leaning into the quiet boy. Demyx didn’t mind the contact from Zexion, who was usually distant from the rest of them. His eyes however, stayed intently focused on what was unfolding across from him. Although focusing was hard for Demyx, when it came to Axel, everything was in razor sharp clarity. His best friend was trying to make something happen, and Demyx couldn’t help but watch and root him on. He also wanted to get to know this boy more, as Axel’s wellbeing was a major priority in his life. Demyx knew things about Axel that no one else did, and saw that it was his duty to take care of the idiot, for he feared that Axel wouldn’t take care of himself.

“So Roxas, Axel tells me you’re going to try and teach him how to skateboard?” Demyx said, smirking at the shorter blonde.

Gulping, Roxas replied, “Ugh, yah. I said I probably could. I’ve taught other people before.” His ears had turned a deep scarlet colour while he had been talking.

“Oh yah? Did they end up being any good?” Demyx pressed on. He wanted to get the new kid talking, even if the conversation had to be dragged out of him.

“Erm- my ex-girlfriend, Namine, wasn’t too bad. She at least could stand on it without falling off all on her own by the time we were done.” At this point not only Roxas’ ears, but the entirety of his face had gone so red it almost matched Axel’s hair. Roxas hated the spotlight, and his face showed that hatred fully.

“Did you guys break up because you moved away?” Xion asked, zoning in on the conversation. Xion wasn’t someone who understood the concept of crossing the line or privacy. Axel found himself waging an internal war, as he both wanted to get his new friend out of there, but he also desperately wanted to know the answer to Xion’s question.

“No-um, we broke up before that,” Roxas was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, shifting in his spot and fidgeting with his spikey golden-blonde hair that had a habit of falling repeatedly into his eyes, no matter how many times he brushed it back. It was a nervous tick that had been present since he was little. Old habits die hard after all. Roxas silently wished that someone would end this stream of questions and pull the focus away from him.

“Enough with the twenty questions guys!” Axel had decided it was time to intervene. Roxas shot him an appreciative look, as the redhead had seemingly heard his silent pleas, which Axel returned with an apologetic smile. Silence momentarily lapsed back over the group, until each of them broke back off into smaller conversations. This left Axel and Roxas with a sense of privacy.

“What’re the rest of your classes like?” Axel asked Roxas, trying to steer their conversation back to something on safe and neutral ground.

“I think its literature and then P.E.” Roxas replied, scrunching his brow as he tried to read the crumpled paper he had pulled out from his bag.  The receptionist had given both Sora and himself one when they had come to the school a few days prior, but Roxas hadn’t had the time to bother memorizing the schedule yet.

“Looks like I’ll see you in P.E. Roxy!” Axel grinned, his voice coming out much louder than he had intended. Suddenly the two boys were very aware of the rest of the groups’ eyes were being re-focused on them. The boy’s conversation and mannerisms towards each other had captured the other’s attention again. Roxas’ face flushed fully again, but Axel just stared coolly at his friends. He was hyper aware of just how close Roxas actually was to him; their knees brushing against each other’s. His nerves fired rapidly, sending signals so aggressively that they could be compared to Axel had burning himself. His brain scolded him into feigning that he was calm. His heart continued to hammer away, despite the blank look he cast towards his friends. Apparently Roxas was just as hyper aware of their contact, because he drew his knees up to his chest as the group’s eyes continued to stare. Luckily the bell signaling that lunch was over broke the painfully awkward silence. The group grabbed their bags, and with a few good byes, took off towards their respective next class.

“You know where your lit class is?” Axel asked as they stood up, stretching and grabbing their bags.

Roxas shook his head, “This school is so big compared to my last one. It’s like a giant maze.”

“Big enough to hide in…” Axel mused. Roxas shot him a confused look but didn’t ask what Axel had meant by that. He knew better than to pry too much with a brand new friend. Roxas knew that if this friendship were to continue on, he would eventually gain enough of Axel’s trust that he would share that sort of information to him. A slowly growing part of him deeply wished that particular day and level of friendship would come sooner rather than later.

“Come on, I’ll show you where literature is.” Axel spoke, this time directing it to Roxas and not just to himself.

The boys fell into quiet once more, as Axel had seemingly soured as they got closer to the school. Silence left Roxas with little to do, besides take a long look at his new friend. Roxas took the opportunity, and began to study the boy who had decided they were going to be friends. As they walked to their lockers, Roxas noticed just how tall Axel really was. He was at least a head taller than himself. His hair was fire engine red, shooting out from his head like a lion’s main. Roxas couldn’t help but wonder if that was his natural hair colour or if he dyed it. He speculated the later. He saw the two tiny tattoos that were under Axel’s eyes and wondered what the story behind them were. He didn’t know many teenagers with tattoos, let alone facial ones. The tattoos brought out the different flecks of green in his eyes, making them shine brighter than any person’s eyes should. They were decidedly endearing to Roxas, and somehow only made Axel more striking. Axel was wearing all black. His style wasn’t exactly goth, but the all black certainly contrasted with his pale skin, and hair. Roxas wasn’t ashamed to admit that Axel was definitely one good looking guy. Definitely different, but good looking nonetheless. Axel was a force of nature, and Roxas couldn’t help but think that girls must throw themselves at him constantly.

Taking his eyes off his new friend, Roxas realized that he wasn’t the only one staring. Boys and girls from all grade levels were almost glaring at the redheaded boy with a look of fear and hatred. _Man do they all hate Axel?_ Roxas thought. Sure Axel was different, but that didn’t seem to be enough to warrant such aggressive and hostile looks. Axel either didn’t notice or didn’t care that the student body was glaring at him. They’d remained in silence as they proceeded to grab their books from their lockers. Their lockers were coincidently just down the hall from one another, as they were both seniors. Roxas wanted to ask if something was bothering the taller boy, as nothing had been said between the two of them for quite some time and Axel’s features seemed to be permanently plastered into a grimace. But seeing how his mouth was pressed into a firm line and his eyes were narrowed, Roxas thought it best that he didn’t say anything at the moment. Axel was new to him, but already he felt drawn to comfort the taller boy in whatever it was that was bothering him.

“Erm, Roxas? Do I have something on my face?” Axel asked, breaking Roxas’ stream of thought and the looming silence simultaneously.

“What?” Roxas said, startled.

“You’re staring at me. You okay?” Axel arched one brow, looking down at the blonde, amused at how he had jumped slightly.

“Ya, I’m fine,” Roxas said, shaking his head, but then continuing, “Are you okay? You look angry.”

Axel bit his lower lip. Should he tell him that the entire school hated him because of what he’d done a few years ago? Should he tell him that he both wanted Roxas close by him, and wanted to keep him as far away as possible so he didn’t ruin him? Something in the way Roxas was staring at him almost compelled him to spill his guts. Almost.

“I’m good, just not really a fan of math,” Axel said, and threw in a lopsided grin, trying to ease the frown on Roxas’ face. The lines that had creased Roxas’ brow smoothed themselves out. Axel could tell it had worked, at least for now. “Come on Roxy, you’re going to be late for class!” And with that, the redhead dragged Roxas down the hallway; far away from the tension that had plagued them.

 

“Thanks for helping me find my room,” Roxas said, looking up into the emerald green eyes that had lost whatever anger and bitterness they had held moments before. They had found Roxas’ class, and still had a few minutes to spare before the bell rang.

“No problem, Roxy. You know where the gym is, right?” Axel asked leaning against the lockers beside the classroom, eyes carefully trained onto him. Axel couldn’t let himself linger too long, or he would be late for his own calculus course. However he wanted to make sure that Roxas knew where he was going. Last thing he needed was to find himself in P.E. missing a certain blonde boy for a partner.

“Just by the front of the school?” Roxas said, forming it into a question as he was still unsure of the layout of the school and wanted clarity so he wouldn’t get lost.

“You got it! I’ll meet you in the change rooms,” Axel winked at Roxas and trotted off, leaving the blonde speechless and staring after him. Roxas wasn’t sure what to make of the wink that Axel had thrown at him, but decided it was probably best not to read too much into it, as they were still practically strangers. For all he knew, Axel could flirt with everyone, or maybe he had an eye problem and it was just a twitch. Roxas shook his head, trying to push all thoughts besides literary ones out. With the bell ringing, Roxas went and found his seat in the back of the class.


	4. Close Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trash for not updating last week. I apologize to anyone who's reading this fic. I had this chapter practically ready to go and what was i doing? Celebrating my birthday. I also had to do some hard-ass adult shit which was enough to make me not go on my laptop at all. Any who, I'm back! Will try to continue my weekly updates, but it could get a little spastic. University is awful but just remember, you are not forgotten! 
> 
> I'm done rambling. Enjoy reading. Or don't. You do you.

 

            _Holy fucking shit. I am a moron._ Axel grimaced, remembering the wink he had given the blonde as he had walked away. And with such a lewd comment! Axel didn’t know what had caused the sudden boldness in him. Maybe it was because for some reason, he didn’t really care anymore about being subtle, or maybe it was because he had caught the adorable blonde staring at him after lunch.  He grinned slightly, remembering how Roxas had been blatantly checking him out. He knew that it was possibly (most likely) just out of curiosity, as he didn’t look like most teenagers and stood out from any crowd he was put into. Yet a small part of him whispered devilishly into his subconscious that it was possible Roxas had been staring because he found him attractive.  The possibility of that alone was enough to cause the skip in Axel’s step as he continued to saunter down the hall towards his class.

However, he knew he couldn’t get too ahead of himself. Keeping his hope restrained, Axel reminded himself that he still had to talk to Demyx and see if he had picked up anything on Roxas. His scarily accurate ability of reading of people had yet to fail the boys in any attempt to pick up guys for Axel. For most of their friendship, Axel didn’t believe that Demyx had a clue about his sexuality, but when he had come out to him two years ago, Demyx hadn’t been remotely surprised. Axel had always been discrete about his sexuality, as he had flirted and dated many girls throughout his earlier school years, but somehow, his friend still knew. Demyx had seen through all the bullshit that Axel had put up as a blockade. It was one of the reasons that Axel valued Demyx’s friendship with such a high regard. Things were easy with Dem, and even at Axel’s most vulnerable (which was a rare occurrence to begin with), he had simply accepted Axel for who he was, no questions asked.

The bell had rung and Axel took his usual spot at the back of the class, placing his notebook onto his desk and stretching his legs out in front of him. The other students didn’t speak a word to him, deciding that ignoring the freak was easier than acknowledging his existence, which was just as fine with Axel. They left a gap between him and the other students, as none of them wished to sit beside him. So Axel continued to stretch out, resting his feet on the chair in front of him. He had long ago accepted the distaste the other students had for him. Axel did let a small scowl creep across his lips however, as none of his friends were in this class with him either. So once again he was left to suffer through another boring class by himself.

Axel let out an overly-dramatic sigh as he looked up to the board. The lesson was written on the board in black marker: algebra. As much as Axel hated math, he was good at algebra. He let the writing become out of focus and stared at the paint above the whiteboard. Axel didn’t feel like paying any attention to math so he left his mind to wander to cuter and much more fascinating things.

_Roxas was smiling at him, and it was not one of those “just friends” smiles either. Perfect pink lips were tilted upwards. His eyes were shining like polished crystals, up through a disarray of soft golden blonde hair. They were in Axel’s bedroom, laying on his bed. Their shoulders brushing against one another softly. Roxas’ body heat radiated onto the redhead, causing him to involuntarily shiver. He had invited Roxas over to do their chemistry homework together, but somehow the homework had become long forgotten. They had moved on to video games, deciding that beating each other up virtually was a much better option than writing out formulas for Vexen’s class for hours on end. Axel saw the smile that Roxas had given him, and wanted to push the limits of their friendship- wanted to take the leap and take the risk. He’d been wanting to try to move things forward for so long, and now seemed like the best opportunity. Any previous fears were gone. He wanted Roxas in every way possible._

_Axel inched closer to Roxas, and the game was paused, their sides now fully pressed against one another, although they were still tentative. Faces turned towards each other. Their eyes met, with an unspoken yearning flowing between them. The world slowed, with every movement becoming elongated and deliberate. Axel’s breathing became ragged as he continued to gaze at the blonde, any words he had being caught in his throat. Roxas gave Axel a look of longing that enticed Axel to become bolder. He reached out an uncertain hand and pushed the gold locks that had fallen back down across his brow, revealing the piercing ice-blue eyes that sent shivers up Axel’s spine. God, did he want to kiss him. No words needed to be spoken between the two of them, as they knew exactly what the other wanted. Roxas whispered his name, his breath barely a breath across his lips. He leaned into Axel’s hand._

_“Roxas…” Axel gasped. This couldn’t be real. Roxas couldn’t really want him, right? Axel moved his hand to cup Roxas’ chin, pulling him closer. He licked his lips nervously, watching for any signs that told him to stop. There were none. Warm breath swirled between the two of them, a promise hanging in the end. As Roxas closed his eyes and let his lips part ever so slightly, Axel leaned in._

“Mr. Axel Sinclair!” A loud voice boomed, jolting Axel from his daydream. Axel felt like a child who had been caught with a hand in the cookie jar. He looked up sharply, cheeks reddening as the entire classes eyes were focused on him. Axel’s thoughts hadn’t been pure and he was certain the class knew that. He’d managed to be more embarrassed in the span of one school day than he had for the past three years. It was like the world was out to get him.

“What?” He said, trying to muster as much indifference as he could into one word. He banished the blush that had begun spreading across his cheeks away. He refused to be embarrassed. Axel wouldn’t let anyone see how he’d been taken off guard.

“The answer, if you don’t mind,” came the snarky reply from the professor.

Axel quickly scanned the board, wracking his brain for the answer.  “X equals three?”

The professor’s eyes narrowed at the redhead, anger flashing across his face. “That is correct. Next time, pay attention to me and not whatever disgusting fantasies you teenagers have.” With that, the professor snapped back to his lesson. Axel felt the heat creep back into his face. _Relax Ax. You’re fine._ Most of the class had turned back around, but a few of his fellow classmates were whispering, sneaking side-ways glances in his direction. He hated people who couldn’t mind their own business more than anything in the world.  Axel made the conscious effort to ignore them, but only after he shot a murderous glare at those who continued to snicker. Once all eyes were off of him, Axel slumped further down into his desk, letting out the breath he had been involuntarily holding. The rest of class passed slowly, but to Axel’s relief it passed uneventfully.

 The bell rang shortly afterwards and Axel rushed off to the gym, throwing his books into his locker and grabbing his change of clothes. He had this urge to beat Roxas there; wanting to keep his word on meeting him in the change room. If he’d gotten into this mess by saying the weird shit he did about meeting Roxas in the locker room, he sure as hell wasn’t going to back out of it. Axel barreled down the hallway, pushing a few freshmen out of the way. Classmates swore at him, and many yelled “freak” as he ran past them. The halls were packed between classes, so making his way through the crowd was no easy feat. It was only by knocking over multiple students from various grade levels did he get to his destination.

 Once arriving at the gym, he realized that he wasn’t the only one in his group of friends who had P.E. at this time. Larxene and Xion were already dressed and warming up, stretching leisurely and working out any tense muscles. He gave them a small wave, inwardly cursing that out of all of them, these were the two that had to share a class with him and Roxas. He loved Xion, and tolerated Larxene, and mostly he enjoyed spending time with them. But they weren’t the type to be subtle, and often spoke without thinking. If Axel was going to have another class with Roxas, he wanted it to go smoothly. Xion and Larxene were anything but smooth. He knew they’d make his life a living hell if it meant they’d get a laugh. Axel felt his face scrunch up into a grimace as he thought about the torture the two would surely inflict upon him. The two girls made their way over to him; Xion bouncing and Larxene walking in a way that was the same as a cat stalking a mouse.

“Hey, Ax!” Xion squealed, wrapping her arms around Axel’s neck and throwing herself into a hug. Axel returned the hug, but his eyes remained trained on Larxene, knowing that some snooty remark was about to be made.

“Where’s your Roxy?” Larxene sneered, as Xion let go of Axel.

“Fuck off, Larxene,” Axel grumbled. He didn’t want Larxene scaring off an already unreadable Roxas. His day dream had stirred some deep feelings for the blonde, far beyond whatever feelings of attraction he had for anyone previously. He didn’t want to screw up whatever was happening between the two of them, if anything was even happening. Roxas was still a mystery, but one that he was dying to solve.

  He left the two girls giggling (or in Larxene’s case, cackling), and went into the change room. Axel tried to shake off the poor mood that the girls had put him in, even though he had known they were only teasing him.

As Axel was getting changed, Roxas came in. Roxas had kept his eyes downcast as he entered the room, not paying any attention to his surroundings. He dropped his gym bag down on the far bench, sitting down beside it. He liked being physically active. Roxas had always gone for runs on the beach and loved to surf with his brother on the island. He missed the freedom that came with the islands. Roxas loved the feeling of the sun warming his often too cold skin, and the soft sand under his feet. Running along the beach gave Roxas the feeling that he was capable and strong. He loved the overall freedom that the physicality gave him. But Roxas hated gym class. There was something about meaninglessly running laps around a dark gym that he despised. He preferred fresh air and being able to do what he wanted to, when he wanted to. Orders weren’t something he enjoyed being given.

He opened his gym bag, grabbing his shoes and shorts. He pulled his shirt off over his head, and as his head popped out from the bottom, his eyes fell upon a mess of bright red hair. Roxas felt his mouth fall open, as he realized that Axel was standing on the other side of the room from him. He hadn’t noticed him when he’d entered the room, and the sight of him casually changing through the blonde into a dizzying spiral. The redhead had yet to realize that he wasn’t alone, seemingly lost in his own thoughts and facing the wall, which left Roxas standing there gaping.

Axel hadn’t bothered putting on anymore clothes and was standing there in just his boxer-briefs. His back exposed showed fine lean muscle, and skin that looked silky smooth to the touch. A large tattoo covered his back from his right shoulder blade down to his left hip, depicting an image of a red phoenix; wings spread wide across his shoulders and the lustrous tail feathers rounding down to wrap around his hip. The phoenix appeared to be bursting from flames that looked to be almost dancing across the pale skin. The dim lighting hindered the blonde’s ability to see the fine details in the bird and flames, but even from afar, he could tell that the tattoo was a masterpiece.

Roxas felt his ears turn pink for the millionth time that day, as he continued to study the redhead’s back. He knew that he was staring, and that the fact he continued to gaze at Axel could easily be classified as creepy. But he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Roxas was captivated by the image before him. The phoenix danced as Axel’s muscles tensed and relaxed and Roxas’ mouth dropped open in awe. His gaze drifted downwards, following the curve of the magnificent bird’s tail, until it landed on something Roxas hadn’t had any intention on staring at. Yet here he was, and he couldn’t look away.

 Axel’s ass was in prime viewing position, only covered by a thin layer of cotton. Roxas didn’t want to keep looking, but he couldn’t stop himself. He also couldn’t help but notice that even Axel’s ass was toned. Subconsciously he licked his lips, pupils completely dilated and heart racing. Roxas let out a small squeak, feeling his cheeks begin to match the burn in his ears. Axel slowly turned around, noticing the blonde for the first time since he’d came in.

“Oh, hey Roxy! How was class?” Axel asked, nonchalantly, as if he were fully clothed and not just in his underwear. Apparently the redhead had no lack of self-confidence or had simply forgotten the state of dress he was in.

“Um, it was good…” Roxas gulped down the lump that had formed in his throat. He couldn’t help himself, he had to blurt out what was stuck on his mind. “You’re naked!”

“Roxy, this is the locker room. You’re half-naked yourself,” Axel replied, laughing slightly. He was slightly thrown off as he looked more closely at Roxas. Axel knew he couldn’t let Roxas see the state of shock he was in, so he tried to shake off his unease with a laugh. Despite his efforts however, he couldn’t help but feel himself gape slightly at the sight of Roxas.

Roxas was sitting on the bench staring at him. Topless. Roxas was short, and he wasn’t nearly as thin as Axel, but his body was still firm with tight muscle. Muscle that had grown over years of running and surfing on the islands. His skin was pale and flawless, even though he had lived in the sunshine all his life. Axel couldn’t help but wonder if Roxas had put on hundreds of layers of sunscreen every time he went outside in order to keep it from freckling or burning. A deep hunger burned low in Axel, as he looked at the blonde. He swallowed the lump in his throat, pushing past the heat that was persistently building within him.

Roxas didn’t say anything. The boys continued to stare at each other in silence, each trying their best not to let on what they were thinking. Axel kept thinking about his earlier daydream and how much he wished it to be true at this exact moment. While Roxas couldn’t help but notice that Axel was attractive. Very attractive. His front was even more gorgeous than his back, despite not having a work of art stretching across the skin

His skin was pale and his frame was tall and wirey, but his muscles were compact and defined. Roxas wasn’t sure but his body looked as if it had undergone years of vigorous training of some kind or another, as each muscle was toned to precision. Then there was the vibrant hair and tiny tattoos just under green eyes that disarmed anyone who looked into them. His eyes trailed up and down his body, which Axel was confidently displaying. Axel was a work of art in his own right; no need for the tattoos, even though they were beautiful. His eyes continued their adventure, continuing down, and down, and- _oh._ Roxas snapped his eyes back up to the redheads face. Roxas hated himself for admitting it, but Axel was hot. Painfully hot.

Axel, still acting as if he were completely unfazed, tugged his gym shorts on, relieving Roxas from some of his growing discomfort from the situation. Axel quietly brought himself closer to Roxas, moving slow but with intent, until they were nearly touching. They were the only two left in the locker room. Roxas gulped, swallowing the nerves that had been building up in him. He could do this. He could stand this close to someone so attractive and not have a heart attack. At the very least, he could stand this close to Axel and not completely pass out. Even though they weren’t wearing shirts. Even though Roxas had just practically seen Axel’s ass and _dick_ through his underwear. Even though Roxas was stuck somewhere between wanting to run out of the locker room and wanting to jump Axel’s bones right then and there. _Fuck._

“Roxy? Are you alright?” Axel’s brow furrowed in genuine concern, studying the other’s face for any sort of reaction. Roxas had completely frozen in his place.

“I’m… I’m alright?” Roxas squeaked, forming his words into a question instead of a statement. Nope, he definitely could not do this.

Axel wasn’t moving anymore. He wanted to lean down and kiss the blonde but knew it would be all too fast. There was something that burned between the two of them; a tension that was so thick it could have been plucked by someone’s hand like the strings on a guitar, causing the two boys to quiver like those strings would. It was as if forces were pulling the two of them together. Forces that cried out for the boys to hurry there asses up and figure out that they were _right_ for one another. A force that both boys felt equally as they continued to stand in front of each other, half naked, in the dimly lit locker room.

 _Get a grip of yourself, Ax._ Axel pulled himself back, restraining himself, although every fibre of his being was screaming to just give into his desire of the blonde.

“Get changed Roxy, we’re going to be late,” Axel said, breaking the spell the boys had been under. Axel hastily pulled on his t-shirt and before heading out paused to add, “I’ll meet you out there, Roxas.”

The door swung closed behind Axel as he left, but Roxas hadn’t moved an inch. He wasn’t sure what had just happened. Roxas’ friends from the island he had grown up on, often joked about his sexuality; saying that he was always single because he couldn’t find a nice guy to date. Hayner and Pence had laughed at him, while Olette had gushed over having a gay friend. For whatever reason, she thought it would be amazing to have someone to gossip about boys with. Gay or not, Roxas was not someone who would have spent time gossiping.

Their comments had pushed him to date a girl, Namine. But besides his one ex, Namine, he hadn’t dated anyone. Namine was completely out of the norm for him, and if he was being honest with himself, she was more of a friend than a girlfriend. Roxas didn’t know if he was or had been really attracted to her, but he did know he had loved her- just not necessarily in the typical boy-loves-girl way. Sure they had done all the things that couples were supposed to do in a relationship, including having sex. But it had been so painfully polite that neither of them had found themselves overly enjoying the act. It wasn’t a great loss to their relationship that the sex wasn’t incredible. Their relationship had always been more about being there for one another and not about the physical aspects anyways. Namine had helped him immensely when his and Sora’s parents died, and had been supportive when they had decided to move to Twilight Town to live with their uncle. Roxas knew that if he told her he was in fact, gay, she would probably just say she’d known all along and was happy for him. They’d ended on good terms, promising to still be friends. Roxas knew she’d always be there for him.

Everything was completely different with Axel. Whatever had just happened, wasn’t some neutral reaction, like it had always been with Namine. He’d just been left speechless at the sight of the attractive redhead. He could hear his heart thumping in his ears and his hands had gone clammy. Roxas desperately tried to push down whatever the feeling was that was trying to drown him and yanked on his gym shorts and athletic top. His breathing hitched in his throat as he remembered the look that Axel’s eyes had carried as they had stood so close. _Why didn’t you kiss me?_ As soon as the thought had entered his mind, he angrily pushed it out, denying any feelings he had. Replacing feelings with attitude, he walked over to the mirror in the change room.

“I’m not gay… am I?” he whispered to his reflection. Had his friends been right? Was Namine always some sort of cover up? He didn’t know. His reflection had as many answers as he did, which was none. With the question left hanging in the air and unanswered, Roxas turned and left the locker room, just as the last tardy bell rang.

 

Gym class went smoothly, with neither boy bringing up the incident from the change room. Larxene and Xion kept shooting the boys questioning glances, feeling the slight awkwardness between the two. But as class went on, the tension disappeared. They went back to joking and teasing, and fell back into the pattern of friendship. Laughing as Larxene got pelted with dodgeballs over and over again. On one particularly good throw, Xion had nailed her in the head, messing up the ridiculous hair style she so highly, prided herself in. The look of rage on Larxene’s face had caused both Axel and Roxas to double over in laughter. That laughter had quickly died however when Larxene had managed to compose herself and instead of throwing a ball, walked up and punched Axel in the shoulder. Axel just continued to laugh, even though his arm stung where the girl had punched him. Larxene was sent to the principal’s office shortly after. The day ended as the last bell rang, and the boys departed ways, smiling as the said the classic “see you tomorrow”. Both felt happiness that neither had experienced in a long time, and both couldn’t help but wonder if maybe their senior year wouldn’t be as bad as they had expected.

 

The next day before school started, Axel found Demyx, begging him for his opinion on Roxas’ potential sexuality.

“Roxas, I’m pretty sure, is gay. But so deep in the closet he might never get himself out of there,” Demyx chuckled at the image of a boy trapped in a closet, lost behind racks and racks of clothing. Demyx made himself laugh more than anyone else could.

“I think you’re right… We almost kissed yesterday,” Axel admitted. Demyx’s eyebrows shot all the way up his forehead.

“Why only almost?” Demyx knew he had to carefully select the questions he would ask Axel, in order to get the right information out of him. No matter how close they were, there was some things that Demyx still had to gently probe in order to get Axel to admit anything. The redhead was guarded, even with those he loved and who loved him.

“I pulled back. I didn’t want to move too fast. But I think… I think he wanted me to,” Axel said, bewildered at the possibility that the boy he pined for may have reciprocated his feelings, even just momentarily.

“You made the right choice, Ax. Develop a friendship and trust with him first. That way it may feel more natural for Roxas if things do progress.” Demyx was much smarter than most people gave him credit for.

With those words of advice, Axel backed off the flirtation. _I don’t want to lose him,_ he thought every time he was tempted to flirt. So with that planted firmly in his brain, Axel worked on building a friendship with Roxas, and waited until the perfect moment arose to act on them.


	5. This is Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is basically part one of a two part chapter. Things got a little long so I split it up. Also ended up writing this one from scratch where the other chapters i have a notebook full of. Writing fanfiction is a perfect distraction from class. Enjoy
> 
>  
> 
> (It's more of a filler/lead up to the next chapter. Had to set the scene, ya know?)

“Wait, Reno, really? You’re having a party on Friday?” Axel blurted over the phone, completely interrupting his brother midsentence. It was only five days away from Halloween, and Axel had zero plans up until his brother had called. He’d always had a love/hate relationship with the holiday. When he was younger, he’d love to dress up and run around the neighbourhood with his siblings collecting candy. Reno and he had always sprinted from house to house, playing tricks on the younger children, including Kairi. Kairi would then proceed to cry and tell their parents. It often earned them the loss of their candy and a hard slap, but the laughs the brothers shared had been worth it. As Axel grew older however, and Reno became too old to go trick-or-treating, he began to hate the holiday. Seeing his fellow classmates run around with their friends, why he had almost none (besides Demyx, who lived across town), caused him to loathe the pumpkins that were lit on every porch. The candy no longer tasted sweet. Axel couldn’t even find himself enjoying dressing up as someone else for a night, something that he had previously loved to do. Halloween was just another reminder of how lonely he felt. So the suggestion of a party with his brother gave him hope that maybe this Halloween wouldn’t suck as much.

            “Yah! My roomie was down to have a party in our apartment, so invite your friends and let’s get drunk, yo!” Reno’s enthusiasm was contagious and it caused Axel to grow even more excited about the prospect of a party. Axel was 18 and legal, so getting drunk with his brother and his friends sounded like the perfect way to spend a Friday night. A Friday night that was Halloween no less. His mind was made up as soon as his brother had suggested it.

            “I’m in! Do we need to bring anything?” The grin that Axel had could not be contained as he pictured the fun that he and the gang would have that Friday night.

            “Your own booze, obviously. Your bro isn’t made of money. There’s enough room to crash here so you don’t need to worry about driving. And it’s a costume party, so you all better be dressed up.” Axel groaned in response. Dressing up was certainly not a favourite of Axel’s, even though he had loved it as a child. He knew however, that his friends would be excited, probably wanting to coordinate a group costume of some sort. If it meant his friends would be happy, he’d dress up for them. However, before he could even say anything to his brother, Reno continued on.

            “Do me a favour, and don’t invite Kairi. She’s too young for parties. Also don’t tell Dad. We don’t need him killing either of us, ‘kay?”

            “Didn’t plan on it. I’d prefer to stay living. Besides you know I don’t talk to that man anyways. Also, aren’t you old enough to not fear him anymore? You don’t even live with him.” Axel scoffed, while he mindlessly picked at a hangnail until it began to bleed. He was on the way to school when Reno had called. Axel loved talking to his brother, and relished any chance he got, but to hear Reno complaining about their father only caused him to roll his eyes. Axel was jealous that Reno got to leave. He counted down every day until it would be his turn. Axel had opted to walk to school again instead of driving, which gave him ample time to talk on the phone. Besides, the school was only a ten minute walk away after all.

            “Alright, alright. And don’t underestimate him, Ax. Even living away from him, his shadow still follows me. Besides I just needed to say it, yah know? I know you ain’t stupid. Anyways, text me how many of your friends are coming once you invite ‘em. Love ya, bro. Have fun in hell, yo!” Reno’s insane laughter flooded the phone and Axel couldn’t help but join in.

            “Love ya too, Reno. See ya Friday,” Axel said just before he hung up the phone.

 A party was exactly what he needed. Axel felt that his relationship with Roxas had fallen into a sort of stale-mate. Nothing was wrong with it, but on the same hand, nothing had changed for the better either. The two had spent countless classes laughing more than actually learning anything. They’d spent lunches doing homework together, or more likely sharing their lunches and throwing miscellaneous objects at Larxene. He’d gotten much closer to the blonde since school had started, but they had yet to spend any time together outside of class. Axel wanted to, desperately, but Axel had wanted to find a good enough reason that wouldn’t freak Roxas out. Axel had gotten the impression that Roxas was a little tense when it came to people and relationships. The party was the perfect way to bridge the gap and push them closer together. If he casually invited everyone to the party while they were eating lunch, then maybe there wouldn’t be any awkward tension, but first he had to talk to Demyx.

            Axel arrived at the school shortly after hanging up with Reno. He skipped up the entrance way stairs to the front door. He knew that Demyx would be found at their lockers. Demyx would know what to do and how exactly he should invite everyone. He knew that the group would be excited, but he still felt the need to ask his best friend about all of it first.

            Demyx was standing at his locker, exactly where Axel had expected him to be. The blonde was attempting to fit a large music case into the confined space. It was obviously a difficult task and one that Demyx definitely needed help in completing, but Axel wasn’t quite ready to give away his position yet. Axel continued to silently watch his best friend struggle with the case. Demyx didn’t notice Axel standing there, swearing repeatedly under his breath as he continued to try and ram the case into the locker.

            “Fuck!” Demyx yelled, throwing his hands up into the air and letting the case fall to the ground. At this, Axel burst out laughing. His best friend didn’t typically swear and the outburst was enough to send him into fits of laughter. The redhead was surprised that Demyx would allow his case to fall however. He knew that it contained Demyx’s most prized possession, his sitar. The blonde had a gift for music, and the sitar was by far his most proficient instrument. Demyx, however, had been far passed the fed up point, and had reached the state of mind where he just didn’t give a damn anymore. Demyx yelped in surprise, startled by Axel.

            “Damn it, Axel! How long have you been standing there?” Demyx tried his best at sounding angry at the redhead, but his demeanour was overall too friendly to actually come across as angry.  Even when Demyx was furious, he still only came across as scary as a slightly annoyed cat.

            “Long enough. Do you want any help?” Axel asked between chuckles.

            “Yes please,” Demyx said as his cheeks took on a light pink colour. The boys worked together in shoving the heavy case that carried Demyx’s sitar. Luckily, they were at the school well before class started so they had time to spare. After five minutes of struggling, they finally managed to get it into the locker by tilting it at a rather precise angle. Demyx slammed the door closed, breathing a sigh of relief at finishing the once seemingly impossible task.

            “Thanks for the help. If it weren’t for you I’d still be struggling,” Demyx grinned, running his hands through his dirty blonde hair.

            “You’re welcome, Dem. Now I need your help with something,” Axel said, smirking as he grabbed his books out of his own locker.

            “What’s up?” Demyx raised one eyebrow, his curiosity evident upon his face. He knew that Axel would have helped him regardless if he had wanted something in return or not.

            “Reno invited us all over for Halloween. Guess he’s having a party,” Axel shrugged, attempting to hide his excitement. The two hadn’t frequented any of the usual college parties that they often attended since meeting Roxas. Axel couldn’t find it in himself to hook up with other guys when his entire being was completely consumed with the image of blue eyes that belonged to another. However, he had to admit, he did miss the loud music and general chaos that went along with a good party. There was something to be said about the ability to get lost in a crowd where no one knew your name.

            “That’s awesome! So what’s the issue then?” Demyx said while he pumped one fist into the air in excitement.

            “Well, I’m a little concerned with inviting Roxas. I thought maybe if I just casually invite everyone at lunch it wouldn’t be weird, ya know?” The boys entered their chemistry class and took up their usual seats in the back of the room. Roxas hadn’t arrived at the school yet, so they were still safe to talk freely.

            “Sounds like a good plan to me. They’ll all be so excited,” Demyx smiled openly. “But here’s the big question,” Demyx paused, allowing the suspense to build and Axel’s eyes to widen, “is it a costume party?”

            Axel dropped his face into his hands. He should have known that this was the one question his best friend would ask. He slowly gave the slightest of nods. Demyx shot up from his desk with a loud cheer. The rest of the class all turned to stare at the blonde. Demyx didn’t care that all eyes in the room were on him. He was elated that not only did he get to go to a party and dress up, but that he got to do it with all of his friends. It was during this cheer that Roxas walked into the classroom.

“Why’re you so excited?” Roxas asked, setting his books onto the desk and taking his seat. Demyx followed Roxas’ example, and promptly sat down. The majority of the class turned away from the three friends then, opting to open their school books instead. Demyx just grinned widely at Roxas.

            “Oh nothing. How was your weekend?” Axel asked, trying to change the subject. Roxas examined both his friend’s faces. It was obvious they were hiding something, but Roxas figured that if it was important he’d find out sooner or later anyways so there was no need to press the issue further.

            “It was pretty normal. Guess you’ll just tell me later whatever the hell that was,” Roxas smirked as Axel looked stunned by his response. It was at this moment that Professor Vexen walked in, and proceeded to yell at Axel for not having his books out and ready to go, thoroughly silencing any further conversation.

_____________________________________________________________________________

            The remainder of their morning classes went smoothly, although Axel found himself growing more and more anxious as the clock ticked closer to the lunch hour. Demyx had tried his best at assuring the redhead that the invitation would go over smoothly, and some part of Axel knew that it would. The majority of him however, was still riddled with nerves. Noticing that the minute hand was nearly at the twelve, Axel packed up his notebook and waited to be dismissed. His fingers drummed aggressively against his desk, his teeth biting into his lower lip. The bell rang shortly afterwards, and Axel took off like a rocket into the hall and to his locker. Quickly grabbing his lunch and shoving his books away, he raced off to their usual spot. For some reason, Axel felt that being the first one there was important.

            Once the group had all arrived and were seated eating lunch, Axel gave a pointed look to Demyx. Demyx nodded, encouraging the redhead. The small exchange between the two did not go unnoticed by Roxas. The blonde watched the two older boys carefully, as he was almost positive that whatever the message that passed between the two of them was, likely had something to do with whatever they had been hiding from him in chemistry class. Roxas wasn’t one to like surprises, and despite being comfortable around his new friends, he wasn’t ready to have something thrust upon him unannounced. Roxas wanted to get to the bottom of whatever this was, and he wanted to do it now. Eyes glaring between the two, he decided he wasn’t going to sit in silence anymore.

            “What are you two not telling me?” Roxas demanded. To solidify his seriousness, Roxas punched Axel in the shoulder to end his question.

            “Huh?” Axel’s eyes widened at the sudden outburst, but realization quickly set in. Axel rubbed at his arm, certain there would be a bruise. _Shit Roxy’s got a good punch,_ Axel thought. Roxas was perceptive, and clearly hadn’t been lost that he was missing out on something. The blonde continued to glare up at him. The rest of the group had grown quiet, watching the three boys uneasily. No one dared to speak up until the tension had diminished significantly.

“There’s something you’re not telling me. So spill.” Roxas was straightforward and to the point. It was actually a trait that Axel appreciated, as he found games only fun if he was the one playing them. Axel sighed, letting his shoulders slump slightly.

“Well, I was going to tell _all_ of you anyways, so might as well now. You’re all invited to a Halloween party on Friday. Reno’s hosting one at his new place. And he said we can all crash there,” Axel said, attempting to sound indifferent. Carefully he watched his friend’s eyes light up in excitement. He then turned towards Roxas.

 “Wasn’t hiding anything from you, Roxy. Just had to tell everyone all at once. Easier that way.” Axel hoped that what he said was enough for Roxas to believe him. From the look on the blonde’s face, it had worked.

“A party!?” Xion squealed. Bursting up from her designated spot on the grass, she leapt over to Axel, practically throwing herself into his lap. “Will there be dancing? Will there be food? Oh, oh! Do we get to dress up in costumes?” Large blue eyes batted their eyelashes up towards the redhead. Xion was always one to play the innocent card, and boy did she do it well.

Demyx didn’t give Axel the chance to answer any of her questions, as he began to launch into everything that he knew about the party Friday, which admittedly, wasn’t much. That didn’t seem to matter however, as the entire group were rapidly swept up in excitement and were discussing plans on costume shopping. Xion had propelled herself out of the redheads lap and over to Demyx, enthralled with every word that fell from his lips. Even the typically stoic Zexion and Saix were participating enthusiastically. The only two who weren’t involved in the preparation plans were Axel and Roxas. The two boys sat off to the side, and continued to quietly eat their own lunches. That is, until Roxas realized he was clearly missing something from the conversation.

“Wait, who’s Reno?” Roxas asked Axel.

 Axel was startled by the sudden question, but that feeling was pushed aside as he realized that despite all the conversations they had over the past couple of months, he hadn’t shared any personal family information. Axel still had no intention of letting anyone besides Demyx in on the fact that Kairi was his sister, as he wanted to protect her from his heavily tarnished reputation. Reno however, wouldn’t be affected by said reputation. Axel chuckled softly, finding the fact that his typical centre-of-attention brother had been entirely forgotten.

“He’s my older brother. He just got a new place with a roomie and called me this morning to invite everyone for a house-warming/Halloween party. You want to come?” Axel hadn’t intended to make the invitation personal in any sense, but by asking Roxas quietly while the others were all busy planning away, he had done exactly that. Thanking whatever god there was, Axel smiled tentatively at his friend.

“I didn’t know you had a brother…” Roxas trailed off. The realization that he knew nothing substantial about Axel’s family life hitting him like a ton of bricks. It made Roxas wonder, what else was he still in the dark about when it came to the redhead? Clearly there were many things that were left to be discovered under the layers of charm and confidence that Axel exuded whenever he was with his friends. Roxas didn’t mean to ignore the invitation that Axel had posed, but seeing the tiny smile on his friends face was enough to alert him to his blunder.

“You want me to come to the party?” Roxas asked clarifying the question. He could feel his cheeks turn a faint pink colour. Roxas had never been invited to parties. To have Axel, who he was still so unsure about, ask him to go to one, he couldn’t help the embarrassment he felt.

“Of course! Reno did say to invite _all_ of my friends, which includes you obviously.” Axel’s smile grew as he noticed the blonde’s blush. _He has no idea how cute he is_ , Axel thought.

“Oh… then yes?” He didn’t mean for it to happen, but it came out as a question regardless. Xion overheard the exchange between the two and bounded over to them, grinning widely.

“That means you’re going to need a costume, Roxas! Come shopping with Demyx and me after school?” She grabbed the blonde’s hands and gushed. Xion loved dressing up as much, if not more, than Demyx. The two always went all out for Halloween, and despite being in high school, still wore their costumes to class.

“Hey! Who am I supposed to go shopping with?” Axel protested. Costumes may not be something that he really enjoyed, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to be left out by two of his best friends.

“Obviously you can come with us, Ax!” Xion squealed again, letting go of one of Roxas’ hands, latching on to one of Axel’s instead. “It’ll be fun! We’ll all go together and pick out amazing costumes then have an amazing time on Friday. Come with us Rox!”

“Um, sure? I’ll just have to let Sora know that I’ll be busy after school, but otherwise I should be free.” Roxas was hesitant but he couldn’t take the chance and pass up on an opportunity to spend time outside of school with his friends. He’d grown quite fond of this particular group and wanted to spend more time with them, costumes be damned.

“Perfect! Dem, did you bring the van today?” Xion asked, clapping her hands in excitement.

“Yep! Should be able to fit all of us, if Zexion, Saix and Larxene want to come too,” Demyx said while his smile continued to grow wider and wider.

“I already have my costume,” Larxene sniffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“We do too,” Zexion said, answering for both Saix and himself. Demyx nodded.

“Alright so it’s just us four! We’ll meet out in the parking lot after school?” Xion said, looking at the three boys who had agreed to the shopping excursion. A resounding sound of agreement sounded from the three. Axel had managed to overcome his nerves and ask the question, and it had rendered not one, but two opportunities to spend time with Roxas outside of the classroom. Lunch was a win in his books.

 

            “Park here, Dem!” Xion demanded, pointing at the parking spot in front of the costume store. Axel, Roxas, Demyx and Xion had all met up after school beside Demyx’s van, and had piled in so they could head to the costume store. When Demyx had first gotten his license, and had then inherited his family’s old van, Axel had decidedly dubbed it the party bus. They’d spent many nights drunk and passed out in its extensive back space. It was the means of how they got around most days, for although Axel had a vehicle, the van was just more _them._

 Axel and Roxas had been put into the back of the van, while Demyx and Xion stayed in the front. They hadn’t said much of anything on the ride over, as Xion took it upon herself to fill the majority of the silence. Axel and Roxas had shared a look when Xion had begun to run through a list of all the costumes she was going to try on.

Now at their destination, the group left the parked party bus and made their way into the store. The inside was filled with overly bright colours and more outfits than anyone could possibly have time to rifle through. Racks upon racks of hats and various other accessories adorned the front walls, while the costumes took up the multitude of racks that stretched the entire length of the store.

 Xion and Demyx took off together to explore the endless racks. Axel sighed. He wanted to run in the opposite direction. The only comfort that he found was that Roxas looked to be just as terrified and equally miserable, standing beside him.

“Any idea where to start?” Axel asked the blonde beside him, trying to ease the stress that racked through both of their bodies.

“Not a clue. When I was younger, my parents always picked out Sora and I’s costumes. They always coordinated us. One year I was Winnie the Pooh and he was Tigger. Another year I was Robin and he was Batman. Sora took over that roll as we got older. I’ve never really had to pick one out before,” Roxas whispered, picking up a cowboy costume. His lips pursed in disgust and he dropped the cowboy outfit so fast it was as if it had bit him.

“Coordinating’s actually not a horrible idea…” Axel mumbled quietly. He then whipped his phone out and shot Reno a text.

            _What are you dressing up as? Want to match? Stuck for ideas. –Ax_

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and realized that Roxas had been watching him. Axel flashed an easy smile. Roxas only raised one eyebrow in response. They had moved further into the store. Roxas had picked up a cop costume, complete with handcuffs and a baton.

“Asked Reno what he’s going as. Maybe we’ll coordinate. We already look the same,” Axel said, answering Roxas’ unspoken question.

“You guys look the same?” Roxas set the policeman’s uniform back on the rack. He didn’t want to dress in a typical costume, and that one had not only been a typical, but had been a little too sexual for Roxas’ tastes. Handcuffs. Really?

“Pretty much. Almost the same hair colour. His is way longer though. Oh, and instead of these tattoos, his are red lines that run along his cheekbones. People get us confused with each other a lot.” He loved his brother dearly, but he couldn’t deny that it irked him to be called Reno when they were in the same vicinity. Axel wanted to be his own person, and have people know him, for being him. Just yet another reason as to why he always introduced himself with his catchphrase of “got it memorized?”

“Huh.” Roxas didn’t make any further comment, and moved onto another rack to look through. He plucked yet another ridiculous costume off of the rack, this time a sailor’s outfit, and held it up in front of him. “What do you think?”

“Absolutely. That blue? Stunning!” Xion squealed from behind them. Both boys jumped. Neither had seen Xion and Demyx return from the depths of the store, and the sudden burst from the bouncy girl had startled them.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Axel deadpanned. Without a doubt, Axel thought Roxas was hot, but that sailors uniform? The redhead wanted it to burn. Hell, he’d even be the one to set fire to it, if it meant the offending fabric disappeared off the face of the planet.

“Come on, Ax. Don’t you think the blue on the lapels brings out the blue in his eyes?” Xion batted her eyelashes up at him, doing her best impersonation of a puppy.

“No fucking way. Roxy is way more dignified than a sailor’s uniform. That’s more Demyx’s style anyways,” Axel replied snarkly.

“Hey!” Demyx protested from behind yet another rack. Everyone ignored him.

“You might be right about that,” Xion said, tapping her chin in thought. “You’re right! Come on Dem. You’re trying this on.” She snatched the uniform out of Roxas’ still stunned hands, and with her free hand grabbed Demyx by the arm and dragged him off to the change room. Xion had already piled a large selection of costumes in the fitting room next to Demyx’s. Axel and Roxas followed them over.

“You guys aren’t here to just sit around. Grab some shit and get changing!” Xion demanded. No matter her size, the girl was determined. When Xion had an idea set in her mind, she wasn’t letting anyone’s stubbornness get in her way.

The boys both let out loud and over dramatic sighs, but did what they were asked. They’d each grabbed a variety of costumes. Everything from prince to pirate to astronaut. Occasionally one would come out and show the other three what they had on. They had decided that a costume was only considered a contender if two out of the three viewers said it was good.

 It was a unanimous decision on Xion’s outfit. There were no doubts that Xion was meant to wear the witch costume. The dress was short and frilly, with a low cut neckline that was not remotely school appropriate. The sleeves were long and flared out around her wrists, making her already dainty hands look smaller. Black fabric was covered in a deep purple lace that was meant to create the illusion of spider webs. The outfit was completed with a pair of purple and black striped stockings and a pointed witch’s hat. Even to Axel, who wasn’t taken with the female body to begin with, could admit that Xion looked smoking hot. Demyx’s eyes had widened until the black of his pupils was the only thing visible in his eyes, when Xion stepped out.

“That’s the one. Hands down.” Demyx said, shaking himself from his reverie.

“Agreed,” Roxas and Axel said in unison.  Xion clapped her hands and pulled all three boys into a group hug. Roxas found himself blushing as he realized Axel was squished against his body. He couldn’t help but notice the heat that radiated off of the redhead. Roxas unconsciously leaned into the welcoming warmth. If Axel noticed, he didn’t say anything. The hug only lasted a moment, as Xion then insisted on finding the other boy’s outfits.

Demyx was thrust into a lifeguard costume, which consisted of a pair of bright red shorts, a whistle, and tight white tank top. Demyx rolled his eyes at the costume, but Xion insisted it fit him. Besides music, his talents rested in the water. Demyx had always been a strong swimmer and enjoyed all things water related, but to base his entire Halloween costume around it? The three boys exchanged glances, and shrugged. Xion was clearly in charge of the entire ordeal, and none of them were prepared to tell her no.

Roxas and Axel were the last to find their costumes. The other two had tried pushing them into everything from standard costumes, to the ones that blow up into ridiculous animals. However, they had yet to have any luck in their search.

“How about we split up? Demyx, you take Axel, and I’ll take Roxas.” Xion said, grabbing hold of Roxas’ hand for the millionth time that day and pulling him away from the other two boys. Axel gave Demyx a puzzled look, which was only returned with a wry smile.

“Dem, why does it look like you stole a cookie and got away with it?” Axel asked, folding his arms defensively across his chest. Axel wasn’t about to let Demyx and Xion get away with whatever it was they were trying to pull off.

“Erm… We kinda planned this before we all met up. Thought maybe it’d be fun if you guys surprised each other on Friday with what you’re wearing?” Demyx cringed slightly, afraid that Axel would yell at him.

“That’s actually kind of sweet of you guys. But you really have nothing to worry about. Reno and I already figured out our costumes,” Axel grinned. Reno had replied to his text while they had all been overwhelmed in the fitting rooms. He’d agreed that it was a fantastic idea, and had told him what he had got for a costume over the weekend. Axel couldn’t deny that the idea was good, and that they were going to look hot.

“You guys are matching?”

“Yep. Rox mentioned he used to with Sora, and it sounded like a good idea,” Axel said, walking over to where he had previously spotted the costume he wanted. “This is what I’m going as. I didn’t really want Roxas to see it before Friday anyways.” He grabbed the hanger and held it up for Demyx to see.

“That’s amazing Ax… It’s you.” Demyx looked at it with awe.

“You think so? Reno’s is the same but with green detailing.” Axel knew that it was the right choice, but he found himself still wanting his friend’s approval.

“Couldn’t have picked anything better out myself. Roxas is going to freak out,” Demyx smirked at his best friend.

“We aren’t dating, Dem.”

“Yet. You aren’t dating _yet._ Doesn’t mean you won’t be in the future.”  Demyx said as he skipped off to find Roxas and Xion, laughing the entire way. Axel shook his head and went to pay. As thankful for his friend’s reassurance as he was, he couldn’t help but think that Demyx was going to blow any chance Axel had with Roxas. The blonde was a great friend, but Axel had serious doubts as to how long he could hold this particular secret in.

After paying, he waited for his friends to finish up outside by Demyx’s van. All three came out with heaping shopping bags, evidence that the trip had been a productive one.

“What’d you get Roxy?” Axel asked playfully.

“Xion said I couldn’t tell you. Don’t ask me why, but she threatened to shave my head if I don’t go along with her,” Roxas grumbled. Axel burst into a fit of laughter while Xion smiled innocently.

 As they piled once more back into the van, Axel couldn’t help but smile. Despite his aversion to costumes, the excitement that continued to bubble up inside him couldn’t be denied. Friday couldn’t come fast enough.


	6. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All i can say is this is not what i had initially began to write. As i was writing, the chapter took on a mind of it's own and now i have this. I was dragged down the rabbit hole. But it's now one of my favorite chapters so *shrugs*. 
> 
> Anyways enjoy. 
> 
> (I still can't believe there are people out there reading this)

“Reno! Let me in, you idiot. My arms are full,” Axel called over the apartment’s intercom.

“I’m on my way down, yo. Just a minute,” Reno’s voice called back. The brother’s had arranged for Axel to skip out on his afternoon classes to come over and help set up before the other’s got there.  True to his word, Axel’s arms were overflowing with bags of groceries, including chips, decorations and a large assortment of alcohol. He’d offered to bring over all of his friend’s liquor beforehand so that they wouldn’t have to sneak anything out from their parent’s homes or bring it to school. In a large garment bag that was slung over his shoulder, was his costume. Axel had decided that the best option was to wait to change into it at Reno’s.

Axel’s mind wandered off to visions of what the night could bring. He had to admit, it was a good opportunity for him and Roxas to really get to know each other outside of school. _Plus, a couple beers might calm my nerves enough to actually say something tonight,_ Axel thought. He’d had too many dreams about the blonde over the past couple of months; all of which would be far too inappropriate to bring to reality at a party surrounded by not only his friends, but his brother.  The sound of the door buzzing shook Axel from yet another one of these daydreams.

There holding the door open, stood his brother Reno. His long hair had been swept back into a low pony tail which reached his waist. Dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, Reno looked relaxed. His lips slowly pulled upwards into a wide grin.

“Ax! You made it,” Reno said as he stepped out of the way so Axel could get by.

“Course I did. Where else would I be?” Axel brushed past Reno and into the lobby of the apartment building. So far, he was impressed. Axel wasn’t exactly sure what Reno did for a job, but he certainly hadn’t expected him to make enough to afford a place in a building that had a chandelier in the entryway. Axel let out a low whistle as Reno lead them towards the elevator. He grabbed a couple of the bags out of Axel’s hands as he passed him.

“You live here?” Axel asked. His eyebrows had reached his hairline as he took in his surroundings.

“Sure do. Rude and I moved here back in July.” Reno leaned against the wall adjacent to the elevator, watching Axel’s face with a practiced closeness. They stood in silence for a moment, until the distinctive ding of the elevator rang through the lobby. After sliding what looked to be a hotel room key into a slot, Reno clicked the button for the top floor. Floor number thirteen.

“Isn’t thirteen bad luck?” Axel remarked. He couldn’t get over the fact that Reno lived in a place like this. They came from money, sure. But for Reno to move out and be able to afford all this with a government job. _What the fuck do you do for a job, Reno?_

“I don’t know, bro. I’ve sure gotten lucky with thirteen,” Reno said, as he smirked lewdly at his younger brother.

“Just because I’m 18 now, doesn’t mean I need to know about your gross sex life,” Axel said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

“Oh come on, Ax. I know you ain’t no virgin. Don’t act like you didn’t sneak off to parties with your friend Demyx, so that you could hook up with guys. I know you, bro. Deal with it.” Reno playfully punched Axel in the shoulder. Like Demyx, Reno had known about Axel’s sexuality well before Axel had ever mentioned it to him. Silence flooded the elevator. It was only broken when the elevator dinged, signalling their arrival to the top floor. Axel expected the doors to open up to a hallway lined with doors, with of course one of those doors housing Reno and his roommate. To his surprise however, the elevator opened up directly into the suite.

“Reno! How the fuck do you afford this?!” Axel could not believe his eyes. The room itself was spacious. Hallways that most likely lead to the bathroom and who knows how many bedrooms, branched off from the large living room area that they had arrived into. Furnished with rich, black leather couches, a beautiful dining set, and an entertainment unit that would blow away even the most savvy electronics sale’s man, the apartment was more than just a bachelor pad. It was a bachelor’s paradise.

“Boss man likes to keep his best worker’s comfortable,” Reno said, throwing Axel a wink. Axel knew not to pry into his brother’s line of work. Reno had shared what he had needed to with his family, and the rest had been said to be classified information.

“Truth be told, Rude and I aren’t around here much. Kinda sucks since its pretty sweet, ya know?” Reno continued, throwing the bags of assorted goods he had been carrying onto the dining room table. Axel nodded, eyes still wandering around the room. He set the remainder of his bags down on the table beside where his brother had thrown his.

 

“Where is this so-called roomy?” Axel asked. He’d never met Rude, but had heard enough about him through texts to know that not only was he his brother’s co-worker, but he was also one of his best friends.

“Out for now. Should be home in an hour.” Reno had moved into the kitchen, his words trailing behind him. “How many people are coming from your crew, Ax?”

“Six, I think. Is it really cool if people crash here?” Axel had followed after his brother into the kitchen area. Reno was working on setting up a liquor station where people could put their booze and mixes. The kitchen was equally massive as the living room. A kitchen island which was big enough for a full beer pong table was fixed in the middle, while there was enough counter space to hold more alcohol than a party could possibly need adorning the back wall.

“For sure, yo. This place has like, four bedrooms. Which is absolutely overkill, if you ask me.” Reno turned to face his younger brother, arms crossed over his chest and one eyebrow skeptically arched.

“Your new friend coming tonight?” Reno asked. Axel had mentioned his new friend in passing over one of the few phone conversations they had shared over the past month. Something wouldn’t let Reno be entirely convinced that Roxas was just a friend in Axel’s books. The way his brother spoke about Roxas was filled with far too much passion and conviction to simply be a friend.

“Roxas is coming, yah.” Axel didn’t make eye contact with the other redhead, instead he grabbed some of the decorations from out of one of the bags and, walking back into the living room, began to string them up. He was determined to have streamers in orange and black adorning the walls and from the ceiling. If they were doing this, the party had to have enough decorations that even Demyx would approve.

“And?” Reno pressed.

“And what?” Axel wandered back into the kitchen and began opening cupboards in an attempt to find bowls. There was no way in hell that he was going to let his brother get a good look at his face while they were talking about Roxas. Axel knew enough about Reno’s job that it involved reading people, and based off of the apartment, Reno was clearly very good at it.

“Ax, really? You wouldn’t have even brought him up all those times if he wasn’t something special to you. I know you, and talking about someone all the time ain’t normal for you. So he’s either some amazing friend, or you like him.  Which is it?” Reno leaned against the counter watching Axel. His blue/green eyes never leaning his younger brother.

Axel didn’t give a vocal response. Instead, he turned slowly, and gave Reno a pointed look. One hand rested on his hip while the other idly flipped a few stray spikes of hair that had fallen over his shoulder. Green eyes glinted, challenging his brother to say something.

“Okay, okay. I don’t need the intimidation act,” Reno said as he sauntered over to the cupboard that held the bowls and pulled one out. As he handed it to Axel, his lips jumped up into a wicked smirk.

“You know, there are four bedrooms. Plenty of room if you and Roxas need any alone time,” Reno teased. He spun on his heel and dashed away, just as Axel threw the plastic bowl at where only moments before, his head had been. Still shaking his head, Axel went back to decorating the apartment.

Shortly after, Reno’s roommate, Rude, returned home. Axel wasn’t quite sure what to make of the large man. Rude wasn’t much of a talker, unlike his brother, but he seemed to be someone who observed everything; passing silent judgement on those around him. Although he was taller than Rude, Axel decided, that he was one of the few people whom he was genuinely scared of. Rude had come into the apartment and with a slight nod towards Axel, had joined Reno in the kitchen. Muffled laughter could be overheard coming from the kitchen. Axel, who was still ignoring his brother, was nearly finished with the decorations.

 Orange and black dominated the room. Streamers spiralled down the walls and across the ceiling. Bowls filled with chips and other snacks were scattered around on any available table surface that was left. Reno had happened to have a smoke machine and a strobe light, which Axel had been instructed to set up in order to make a dance floor. Axel had moved the table as far back as he possibly could against the wall, and had pushed the couch in the opposite direction, leaving the middle of the room wide and empty. Perfect for dancing. Looking around, Axel gave the room a once over and nodded approvingly. Judging by the look of the place, the night was guaranteed to be a success.

“Whoa, Ax! Looks awesome in here, yo” Reno said, a grin spreading wildly across his lips as he surveyed Axel’s hard work.

“No thanks to you,” Axel teased, but a smile broke through regardless.

“Hey! Rude and I got the kitchen ready. Beer pong is set up and the bar is ready to go.” He pumped his fist into the air in enthusiasm.  “You told people to come by around 9:00-10:00?”

“Yah. They should all be here soon, I guess.” Axel said, looking up at the clock on the wall. It read 8:00.

“Time to get changed then. Rude’s costume is hilarious,” Reno shot the bald man a rueful smirk. Rude only rolled his eyes in response.

“It’s only funny to you, Reno.” The deep voice rumbled, startling Axel slightly. He hadn’t actually heard the man speak until then and the deep timbre was unexpected.

“Whatever. C’mon, Ax. We’re going to look smoking hot.” Before Axel could respond, Reno had grabbed Axel’s garment bag and darted off down the hallway.  Rude raised an eyebrow at Axel, who shrugged in reply. They were both well aware of Reno’s quirks and spastic way of behaving. He was impulsive and careless but that tended to lend him to be spontaneous which often lead to fun.

The brother’s struggled into their costumes, helping each other apply dark eye liner to frame their equally startling eyes. Reno tamed his hair into a sleek low ponytail but allowed the shorter spikes that adorned the top of his head to fall in a disarray around the bandana he had wrapped around his head. Axel’s equally red hair was gelled into a perfectly messy arrangement of spikes that were ten times more elaborate than his every day wear, and were pushed back with a matching bandana to his brother’s. Axel’s eyes raked over the tight fabric of their pants and loose white button-up shirt which showed off their collar bones. The stark contrast between their pale skin, dark eyeliner and vibrant hair was jaw-dropping. Looking in the mirror, Axel had to admit that the two of them looked very, very, _very_ hot.

The redheaded duo had decided on wearing matching costumes, and the outfits suited them to a tee. Both of them had on tight black leather pants, loose white shirts, and long sleeveless jackets that flared out into a ragged version of coat tails. Both were black as night. Underneath hung a wrap around their waists; Axel’s a deep red, Reno’s a forest green. Both wore knee high black boots and both had their necks and arms adorned in flashy, gold jewelry. Finally, strapped onto both of their right hips, a (fake) sword hung. The overall appearance was equally fierce, as it was attractive.

“Told ya we’d look awesome,” Reno said, meeting green eyes in the mirror.

“Can’t really disagree with that,” Axel smirked back at his brother through the mirror. The door buzzer went off, signaling people were beginning to arrive. Rude could be heard heading towards the door to let people in. Axel turned to face his brother, meeting his eyes directly. Twin pirates grinned impishly at each other.

“You ready for this?”

“Bring it on, bro.”

 

            An hour later, Reno and Rude’s apartment was packed to the walls with people. Axel wasn’t sure who all these people were, or how Reno knew any of them. The music was blasting away and the lights had been nearly all turned off in order to create the dance floor. He’d caught a brief glimpse of his brother and Rude, who had changed into his costume, talking to a pair of girls by one of the bedroom doors. Rude was dressed as a giant pickle. Axel wasn’t sure why that had been his choice of costume, but something told him that it was most likely Reno’s obscure sense of humour that had picked it out.

At some point he knew his friends had shown up, as he’d catch a flash of Saix’s blue hair, or hear Larxene’s cackle as he made his way around through the growing crowd. Axel knew that Saix, Larxene, and Zexion had planned on showing up together, and since he had yet to see any sign of Xion, Demyx, and Roxas, he assumed that they had yet to arrive.

Squeezing his way through numerous writhing bodies, Axel made his way towards the kitchen. After pouring himself a strong rum and coke, he leaned up against the counter and pulled out his phone. Texting Demyx was the best option in finding out when they would show up. Axel was getting anxious about seeing Roxas at the party. Already girls had been trying to slip him their numbers, and one had gone as far as attempting to kiss him. _It is way too early for them to be this drunk_ , _and I am definitely not drunk enough for this,_ Axel had thought.

_Where you guys at?_ Axel texted. It took a few minutes, which Axel took to sip his drink and people watch from his spot propped up against the counter, for his phone to buzz in response.

_Just got here! There’s so many people!_ Demyx had replied. Axel felt his heart begin to race with knowing that Roxas was now at the party, and most likely looking for him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Axel chugged the remainder of his drink and went in search of his friends. He didn’t get very far, as it seemed his friend’s had found him first.

“Axel!” His eyes shot up to wear the shout had come from. On the other side of the kitchen, stood Demyx, Xion and Roxas. Green eyes immediately met dazzling blue, and for the briefest of moments, Axel was breathless.

Roxas was stunning. Dressed in a loose white, toga-style wrap left his arms and one shoulder bare. Roxas’ skin shimmered in the dim lighting, causing Axel’s heart to skip a beat. A gold leaf crown adorned the top of his golden hair. Golden bangles looped up his arms. On his feet were leather sandals that then looped up his legs, which were also left very bare. Roxas looked like a god who for some unbeknownst reason had decided to crash a frat party. Axel instinctively licked his lips, attempting to bring some moisture back to them. Axel seemed to be having the same effect on Roxas, as Roxas was on him. The blonde’s mouth had fallen open and his pupils had grown wide. However stunning Roxas was, Axel was equally as beautiful in his costume.

“Axel, there’s _soooo_ many people here!” Xion squealed, latching onto the redheads arm and jumping vigorously. She had dragged the other two boys with her through the crowd

“I’m pretty sure Reno invited everyone he’s ever met. Ever. I don’t know who half these people are. I’m pretty sure Saix, Larxene and Zexion are here, but I haven’t really gotten to see them.” Axel shrugged, smirking at his three closest friends.

“Zexy’s here?!” Demyx bolted away from the group in search of the others. Axel laughed as he watched his best friend disappear into the ever growing crowd. Roxas, who still hadn’t spoken, looked at his other two friends.

“What do we do now?” The blonde spoke up, startling the other two. Roxas had never been to a real party before, and wasn’t sure what they were supposed to do. Sure there were people dancing, and there were loads of couples had split off to make-out in somewhat secluded corners. Or right in the centre of the kitchen. Roxas shuddered as he watched a girl’s tongue dive down some boy’s throat.

“Well, Roxy. We could go dance, but I don’t think any of us are drunk enough for that just yet. So, that leaves only one thing left to do,” Axel said, turning his back to Xion and Roxas. Quickly, he poured a brown liquid into three small cups. Turning back around, he handed both of his friends a small cup, then he grabbed the last one for himself. Raising his up in the air, Axel grinned.

“Shots, my dears. Shots.” Instinctively both Xion and Roxas had raised their cups alongside Axel’s. Although Roxas had never done shots before, he had seen enough movies to understand the general protocol. With the slightest clink, the three tipped the burning liquid down their throats.

“Yuck! What the fuck was that, and why does it burn?!” Roxas sputtered, grimacing at the taste that scorched its way down his throat. Xion giggled at Roxas’ face, but with a glare from Roxas, quickly covered her mouth with her free hand.

“That Roxy, was tequila, and yes it burns. Alcohol does that. After a while however,” Axel said, grabbing the bottle and pouring them all another round, “the burn doesn’t hurt so badly.” He said, setting the bottle down and giving Roxas a wink.

“To a fantastic night with fantastic friends!” Xion cheered, this time leading the way in raising her cup.

“Bottoms up,” Roxas grumbled, and with that, tipped back another round of liquid fire.

 

Two more rounds later, and Roxas was wasted. He’d only ever had a glass of wine at a family wedding, and a beer or two at a bonfire with his friends back on the island. But tequila? Roxas had never even dared to try hard liquor. He’d heard enough stories from the people at his old school about kids making horrible choices and vomiting for hours because of it. That alone was enough of a deterrence. The avoidance however, left Roxas being a lightweight. His vision was blurry and he didn’t notice that he was standing very close to Axel. So close, that the sides of their bodies were pressed together. It didn’t matter however, as Roxas was far too drunk to care, and Axel’s warmth was welcome.

Axel, on the other hand, was on the level where his smile was a little bigger, his laughs a little louder, and a overall much more touchy person. He had slung his arm around the drunk Roxas, as Xion, who had jumped up on the counter behind the two of them to sit, tossed her legs over his shoulders. Between rounds two and three, he’d gone and put the sword that had hung at his waste into his brother’s bedroom as it was getting even more crowded than it had been. The sword had been bumping into people, becoming a nuisance to both Axel and the people surrounding him. With the raven-haired girl behind him, and his favourite blonde beside him, Axel felt like he was floating on air; blissfully happy.

Unlike Roxas, Xion had been drunk before, and knew what to expect. So when her body began to feel tingly and her vision blurred a bit, she decided that using Axel as a prop to hold herself up against was the best option. She wasn’t too far gone, so Xion noticed how the two boys were moving closer and closer together. The sight of it made her smile, as there was nothing Xion wanted more for Axel, than for him to be happy.

Time had no meaning anymore. They could have been sitting there for ten minutes, or an hour, but it wouldn’t have made any difference. Xion began to grow restless as the minutes ticked on, and swinging her legs off of Axel’s shoulders, she leaped onto the floor.

“Boys, let’s go dance!” She demanded. As demanding as Xion was sober, drunk Xion was a thousand times more so. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed the redhead’s hand and began to drag him off to the dance floor. Axel reached out behind himself and latched onto Roxas. The connection sent shocks rippling up Roxas’ arm and down his spine. The shocks weren’t unpleasant. Instead they sent a warm tingle to the pit of his stomach. Roxas’ smile turned crooked as his eyes lazily raked over the tall redhead in front of him. Axel looked incredible, and in the state that Roxas was currently in, he wasn’t going to deny the attraction he felt towards Axel.

Xion pulled them into the middle of the throng of people. Her arms waved above her head as her hips swayed to the bass that thumped around them. When it came to dancing, Axel was a natural. His body rolled with every beat. Axel knew he was quite a spectacle when he danced, and couldn’t help but watch Roxas’ face fill with a longing that caused Axel’s heart to beat faster.

Roxas typically didn’t dance. Typically, he didn’t do anything remotely close to what the evening had progressed into. Yet here he was, finding himself dancing along to the far too loud music, with far too many people sweating on him from all sides. Hands that belonged to both men and women alike, groped at him, begging for him to dance with them. However, every time a hand reached out, Axel would reach out his own hand to Roxas and pull him closer. No complaints were made from either party as their bodies consequently became pressed against one another.

Several songs later, Xion had vanished with some guy who had wrapped his hands around her waist, dancing further into the crowd. Roxas and Axel were pressed flush against each other. As the music had changed, and time had passed, Roxas had grown more confident. His hands had found themselves wrapped around Axel’s neck, tangled into the mess of red spikes. Their breath mixed between them, as their foreheads pressed together. Axel’s hands splayed across his back and hips, pulling Roxas closer. Their hips ground against each other, causing Axel’s breath to catch midway in his throat.

“You having fun tonight, Roxy?” Axel shouted into Roxas’ ear so that he could be heard over the pounding music around them. He had to lean down so that the blonde would be able to hear him, which in turn only enveloped Roxas more into Axel’s body.

“Mhmm,” Roxas purred, burying his head into Axel’s shoulder as they continued to grind against one another. The smell of leather and cinnamon filled his nose as he breathed in. The warmth that was Axel Sinclair pulled him deeper down the rabbit hole than he had ever dared to go. The scent and the warmth made him feel more intoxicated than only liquor ever could.

Axel couldn’t believe what was happening. He wanted to give in and kiss Roxas. He wanted to, but he didn’t dare. Sure he was drunk, but he knew that Roxas was even more so. No matter how much he wanted to kiss him, he wasn’t going to take advantage of Roxas. Which was the right decision, because Roxas was well past the point of remembering the majority of the night. Sure, Axel liked to have a good time, but consent was a top priority of his, and unless Roxas made the first move, there was no way he was going to pressure him into doing anything.

With their bodies pressed so tightly, the music, lights and smoke machine creating a heady atmosphere, and the ever present crowd of people surrounding them, Roxas found himself dying of thirst. He began to pull away from Axel reluctantly, meeting emerald green eyes that were filled with worry. He shook his head, trying to communicate that he wasn’t _leaving_ Axel, but that he just needed a breather. Roxas mimed taking a sip of water from an invisible cup. His motions were all overly dramatic, due to the overly drunk state the blonde had found himself in.

Understanding slowly dawned in Axel’s eyes. Quickly, he grabbed the blonde’s hand and began the treacherous journey out of the throng of people. Once they had escaped, Axel sat Roxas down on a couch that had been pushed against the wall and was surprisingly vacant.

“I’ll be back with some water in just a minute, okay? Don’t go anywhere,” Axel said, attempting to use his most reasonable tone. Roxas numbly nodded, eyes seeming to wander off as he watched the party go on around him. Before letting go, Axel gave Roxas’ hand a squeeze. The blonde looked up and gave him a drunken smile. Turning and walking away, Axel chuckled to himself. Memories of his first time really getting wasted floating back to him through the hazy fog that was his mind. Getting to the kitchen was relatively easy, as Axel was tall enough to see where people were and was able to pick out the best path for him to travel along. Finding an empty cup, however? Nearly impossible. He ended up taking a partially empty cup off the counter, dumping the remaining liquid, and rinsing it a few times before filling it with water. Satisfied with his effort, he turned around, arms held high above his head, and began to slip his way back through the crowd.

As he carefully made his way back to where he had left Roxas, doing his best not to spill any water, Axel stopped dead in his tracks. His heart fell down to the pit of his stomach as fear and panic overtook him. _Shit, shit, shit, shit,_ Axel thought, chanting the word like a mantra inside his own head. On the couch where he had left the blonde, was an empty space. Axel whirled around, worriedly scanning the corner of the room, but there was no sign of him. Roxas was gone.


	7. Skateboarding, Sunset and Sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a bad thing and didn't update last week. Whoopsies. To make up for it, this is extra long. Apparently I had a lot to say. 
> 
> Read, enjoy, or don't. Once again that's totally up to you and I'm just thrilled there's someone reading this.

_Where’d Axel go again?_ Roxas thought, or maybe he mumbled. Roxas was well past the point of being coherent on whether or not he was speaking aloud. The world vibrated around him, spinning out of control. The music pounded on around him, loud and hypnotizing. Sweat-drenched bodies pressed into Roxas as he stumbled from his seat on the couch and into the dancing crowd. He needed to find Axel. He needed to tell Axel how he was feeling. No longer could Roxas wait. He needed to tell him and he needed to tell him now. Their dancing together had stirred any previous feelings of attraction and had magnified them a thousand times. Being as drunk as he was, fear had been completely abandoned, and had only left a desperate need.

Stumbling through the crowd, he ignored the hands which tried to pull him in to dance. He thought he caught a glimpse of Xion in her witch’s costume dancing with a guy wearing a pair of devil horns. Roxas slipped over to where he saw her, and sure enough Xion was there. She looked to be past the point of sobriety, laughing as the devil horned guy kissed her neck. Her eyes flitted up and a wide spread grin broke across her face. Seeing Roxas, she broke away from her dancing partner and flung her arms around Roxas’ neck.

“Roxy! Aren’t you having an amazing time?” She yelled, dragging his body close to hers and forcing him to dance with her.

“So much fun!” Roxas shouted back, momentarily forgetting why he had come over to her to begin with. A flash of red caught his attention. The guy who Xion had been dancing with’s devil horns glinted in the flashing lights, and Roxas remembered his purpose.

“Have you seen Axel? I need to tell him something,” Roxas said, looking frantically around the room for any sign of the tall, spikey haired, redhead.

“I think he went down the hall there. Go get him, Roxy!” Xion gave a wicked grin, and pushed Roxas through the crowd in the direction she indicated. Roxas blinked, stunned by the abrupt loss of contact from all the sweaty bodies. The absence made Roxas shiver slightly. Despite the sweat, the warmth the crowd had brought was amazing.

The hallway was longer than Roxas expected, and there were a lot of people standing down it which hindered his ability to scan for Axel. Standing on tip-toes, Roxas looked over the crowd of people, seeing many chatting with other party goers, and a few couples that should probably have gotten a room. No pirate in sight.

Shaking his head, Roxas was ready to give up when he saw it. A glimpse of vibrant red hair at the end of the hallway. Roxas didn’t think twice. Instead he bolted after the guy which caused a fluttering in his stomach. He shoved people out of the way, uncaring as to who he was pushing, as his goal was nearly in reach. The redhead had vanished into the room on the right-hand side of end of the hall. Without thinking, Roxas opened the door.

The room was empty. It was a bedroom, but who’s it was, he did not know. Whose ever it was, kept it very clean. The bed was neatly made, and no clothes were left on the floor. The room hardly looked lived in. Roxas blinked twice, confused as to where the redhead could have possibly went, when he felt a cool autumn breeze. The room had a built on balcony. The somewhat familiar scent of cigarette smoke floated through the open door. Roxas wasn’t all that surprised that the redhead smoked. Slowly, he began to cross the room. As he drew closer he began to hear the familiar voice that he had come to respond so eagerly to.

“No. Everything’s fine. Don’t need to send anyone over here. Rude’s throwing out the people who were trying to fight,” the muffled voice said. Roxas paused mid-stride, somewhat confused by the words that had fallen from the other’s mouth. _There was a fight? And who’s Rude?_ Roxas wondered. He nearly turned around, as he was feeling that he was intruding on something, but then a laugh that sent pleasant shivers up his spine burst forth. He still couldn’t see anyone on the balcony but he had made up his mind. Roxas was going to be bold.

Without a second thought, Roxas rushed through the balcony doors and out into the brisk autumn air. Red hair was all he saw. He latched onto the other man’s face and dragged his mouth down to his. Roxas crashed his lips against the taller man’s. He was possessed by the burning need that had been magnified through the course of the evening. The attacked lips paused briefly, confused by what was going on, but then pressed back. Hands tangled into hair, and Roxas let out a soft moan into the other’s mouth. Taste of cigarette smoke and alcohol mingled with something slightly fainter. Peppermint, maybe. The taste was intoxicating. Roxas wanted more but he needed air. Pulling away, he opened his eyes, blinking slowly as reality came into focus.

“Now, I have no idea who you are, but nice to meet you.” Tattoos framed the man’s eyes, but they weren’t the tattoos that Roxas had been expecting. Instead of emerald green framed by black eyeliner and deep purple triangles, there was brilliant blue with two red, crescent shapes lining high cheekbones.

“Name’s Reno,” the taller man grinned, sticking out his hand towards the blonde. Suddenly, Roxas was no longer drunk. Sobriety hit him like a ton of bricks. Roxas had never back peddled so quickly in his life. His heart was hammering in his chest so hard, he was sure he was going to have a heart attack. Feeling the cool metal of the balcony’s railing behind him, he forced himself to slump down onto the concrete. He drew his knees up to his chest, and stuck his head between his legs.

“Usually this is the part where you tell me your name,” Reno said, crouching down next to the blonde. Slight alarm filled the redhead’s voice, but Roxas didn’t look up. Words deeply lost somewhere in the back of his throat. He couldn’t believe he had kissed Axel’s _brother_. What would happen if Axel found out? Would he be angry? Would he never want to talk to Roxas again? Questions flew rapidly through his mind, causing Roxas to hyperventilate.

“Whoa, easy there. Inhale with me, okay?” Reno gently used one finger to tip Roxas’ chin up so he could look at him. His eyes wide, Roxas nodded slowly.

“Okay good,” Reno said, smiling gently at the younger boy. In sync, they took a deep inhale, waited a few seconds, and exhaled slowly. Reno prompted Roxas to continue the process by focusing only on his breathing. They sat like that for what could have been hours, but was most likely ten minutes, breathing slowly. Reno gently rubbed Roxas’ back, trying to calm the terrified boy.

“Feeling better?”

“Yah. Thank you,” Roxas whispered, eyes still wide. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. He knew practically nothing about the man he had just kissed, the only information being that he was Axel’s older brother. It scared him slightly, this lack of knowing, but the thought that he couldn’t be too bad since he was related to the guy Roxas was falling for, eased the tension that had filled his body. Hesitantly, Roxas smiled up at Reno.

“So, I still don’t know your name…” Reno trailed off, smiling gently back at the blonde.

“Roxas. My name’s Roxas,” voice still barely above a whisper. The two boys stared at each other, until all of a sudden a look of realization flooded Reno’s face.

“Oh fucking hell!” Reno jumped backwards, launching himself as far away from the younger boy as possible. He’d been kissing Roxas. Roxas, the boy Axel was into. Roxas, the one that _in no universe he should have been kissing._

Roxas blinked in surprise, the sudden outburst snapping him out of his state of shock and fully into reality. Why was Reno so taken aback by his name? Had Axel said something?

“Shit. Fucking shit. He’s going to fucking kill me.” Reno had stood up and was now pacing rapidly back and forth along the balcony.

“I thought you were Axel,” Roxas muttered, trying to justify what had just happened between them. Axel and Roxas were in no form of a relationship, but Roxas was positive that if Axel knew about this incident, there would never be a chance for anything to grow between them. Kissing someone else? Most likely excusable. Kissing Axel’s brother? He was doomed. Hell, they were both doomed.

Reno stopped dead, and whipped his head back towards the blonde who hadn’t moved from his position against the railing. His eyes narrowed slightly, scanning over Roxas with the intensity of a trained professional.

“You thought I was Axel?” Reno asked, still staring at Roxas. His body had gone completely still, tension running up his back and through his shoulder blades.

“Yah. I was really drunk and I saw your hair and I thought you were Axel. We were dancing before and he just kind of disappeared. I don’t remember where he went. I needed to show him how I feel. I had to do it. But you aren’t Axel, and now I’m sitting here feeling like I may have ruined something that could have been incredible before it even started.” The words fell from Roxas’ mouth so quickly that he didn’t have time to second guess what he was saying.

“Okay this is what we’re going to do. You’re going to go back into the party and find Axel. The real Axel, not me or any other redhead at this party. Then you’re going to take a couple more shots so you aren’t sober and thinking about this all night. We’re going to have fun, then go to bed, and tomorrow, you’re going to wake up hungover and maybe hang out with Axel.” Reno said, reaching a hand out towards the blonde to help him get to his feet.  Roxas shakily took it. Although he had sobered up and was no longer in shock, the setting in of reality had thrown him off substantially.

“Neither of us tell Axel?” Roxas asked.

“No, you’re going to have to tell him at some point. But not tonight. He’s probably very drunk by now and I don’t need any more damn drama at this party. Already had to kick out two of his friends for starting a fight,” Reno said, rolling his eyes. He’d been in many bar fights since becoming legal, but starting a fight at a friend’s party was low, even for him. He knew that the two who had weren’t particularly close to Axel, but it didn’t make that big of a difference in his opinion.

“His friends? Larxene and Saix?” Roxas asked, stunned. He wasn’t surprised that out of all of them, those two would have been involved.

“Those are the two. They tried fighting my roommate Rude, after he told them to get out of his bedroom. Guess they were being horny teenagers. Anyways, she tried punching him and well, Rude’s not a little guy. So he kicked them out,” Reno explained, steering them from the balcony and back towards the party. The bass became louder as they re-entered what now, Roxas realized, must be Reno’s bedroom. Roxas was curious as to why the place looked so empty, but figured now was certainly not the time to ask.

“Anyways, have a good rest of the party, Roxas. Sorry about earlier. Don’t go kissing any more strange redheads unless it’s my brother, okay?” Reno gave one last grin, before giving a two finger salute, and rejoining the ongoing party. Roxas followed shortly after, in a daze from everything that had only moments ago occurred. He did as Reno had suggested, downing a few more shots of tequila, then went and found Axel, who had joined Demyx sitting on another couch. The crowd had thinned enough that finding the redhead was much easier than before.

Axel had been worried about Roxas since he had disappeared, and the re-emergence of the blonde caused his face to light up. The redhead, who had went on to have many more drinks, sloppily pulled Roxas down into both his and Demyx’s laps, grinning wildly. Roxas gave a small smile back to the redhead, and did his best to relax. The tequila began to take hold on him, and soon enough, Roxas was no longer stressing over his mistake. Instead he found himself laughing hysterically with his two friends.

 As the party wore on, and people left, Axel, Xion and Roxas piled into one bedroom, while Demyx and Zexion took the other one. The bed was more than big enough for the three of them. Roxas took the middle spot, squished between Axel and Xion. Their warmth was precisely the comfort that drunk Roxas needed.

At some point in the night (or early morning), Xion snuck out of the room and had gone to join Demyx and Zexion across the hall. Roxas had awoken slightly at her movements, but hadn’t questioned it. Instead, he snuggled closer to the body of radiating heat beside him. Closing his eyes, he felt long warm arms envelope him, pulling him softly towards the heat source. Roxas smiled, letting the blissful warmth take him into a peaceful sleep.

 

            Sun burst through the blinds early Saturday morning. Axel growled as it pierced his eye lids, burning his retinas and causing a splitting headache to erupt.

            “Fuck you sun,” Axel snarled, burying his head under the pillow. Hangovers were right up at the top of the list of things that Axel absolutely despised. He was ninety percent sure that getting punched in the face was less agonizing. Axel rolled over, facing away from the assaulting brightness. Some part of him had been expecting an empty bed, so when his arm flung out and was met with a muffled _oomf_ his body froze. 

            Carefully, Axel retracted his arm from the sleeping body next to him. Peeking out from under the pillow, Axel gasped. There laid Roxas, in all his angelic glory. Blonde hair fluffled out around him, his face remained peaceful as his slumber continued on. Axel bolted upright. His sudden movement causing Roxas to stir. The blonde’s brow scrunched up as he began to wake up.

            “What time is it?” Roxas murmured, rubbing his eyes. Axel laughed softly. It seemed the sun wasn’t making any friends that morning.

            “Too early. I think it’s nearly 1:00pm,” Axel said. Roxas jumped up, startled by the voice that had answered him. Before words were able to come out of his mouth, Roxas clutched at his head. A searing pain exploded in his head. He groaned, falling back down onto the bed, burying his head under the pillows.

            “First hangover, huh?” Axel chuckled, grabbing for the water bottle his drunk-self had caringly left him on the nightstand. After taking a long swig, he passed it over to Roxas. Roxas grumbled a thank you and eagerly drank the water.

            “How long does this last?” Roxas grumbled, peeking out from under the pillow in much the same way that Axel had done earlier.

            “Well that depends. Could be hours, could be all day. Drinking water helps a lot. So does fresh air and ice cream,” Axel said, grinning.

            “Water, check. What about the other two?” Roxas asked, slowly sitting up beside the redhead. The shock had worn off, and he found it oddly relaxing lying in bed beside Axel. For the first time in what felt like a long time, Roxas was comfortable.

            “Glad you asked. Got any plans for the rest of the day, Roxy?” Axel asked, grin growing bigger. Axel had a plan for what he wanted to do with Roxas since the first lunch they spent together, and that plan had only grown as he’d got to know him.

            Roxas had told Axel why he and his brother had moved to Twilight Town, over one of the many lunches they’d shared. He explained that his parents had died in a boating accident, back when they lived on the island. They had no other family besides their uncle, and he had taken them in without hesitation. Sora had cried endless tears as they had departed from the island. Roxas hadn’t shed a single one. Those first few weeks after their parent’s death, he’d walked around like a zombie, completely numb to the world. As time went on, emotions came back to him, but it was a slow process to say the least. Roxas confessed that he missed the islands, his parents, his friends, and his old school, but that it was mainly the sunsets there that he missed the most.

“There was this spot where Sora and I would go every evening to watch the sunset. It overlooked the ocean and the way that the sun would reflect against the water. The sky would be covered in a million different colours… It was magical. I miss how simple things were back then; how carefree the two of us were.” Roxas had mused over one lunch, as he had explained what the sunsets were like. His eyes had taken on a faraway look, trapped in a past where everything had been easier.

Axel knew how to solve that problem. Since that day he had wanted to do something that would make Roxas smile.

“Um, no? Why what do you have in mind?” Roxas asked, genuine curiosity creeping into his voice.

“Was thinking I’d finally take you up on that offer of teaching me how to skateboard,” Axel said, casting a glance at the blonde out of the corner of his eye.

            “We can do that. I’ll just have to run home and grab my stuff, but that shouldn’t take long,” Roxas said, turning to face the redhead. Memories of last night came flooding back to him. Their bodies pressed against each other, the glances they had shared… The lips that were distinctly not Axel’s, he had kissed. It overwhelmed Roxas, but he figured that by spending some time doing normal things would help put him at ease, and maybe give him the opportunity to clear the air.

            “Sweet! I’ll meet you at the Sandlot after you grab your stuff. That okay then?” He didn’t mean to sound like he was kicking Roxas out of the apartment, but he wanted the rest of the day to get started. He wanted to be spending time with the blonde, just the two of them. He wanted to make Roxas smile.

            “Sounds good to me. I’ll head out now then so I can shower and stuff. Meet at 3:00pm?” Roxas chuckled, slowly crawling out of the shared bed. He paused briefly, grimacing at the head rush and pain that stabbed behind his eyes.

            “Perfect!” Axel said, joining Roxas in the painful process of getting up. “Shower’s typically help hangovers too.” Axel helped Roxas collect his stuff which had been scattered around the room. They began the painful process of making their way to the elevator. Demyx had waited for the blonde to wake up so that he could give him a ride home. Xion and Zexion however had taken off earlier that morning, claiming they had family business to attend to and needed to rush off.

            Demyx stood by the elevator doors, smirking at his two friends. Axel scowled at him and shook his head, knowing exactly what his best friend was thinking. Axel hoped that it was enough of a reaction to deter Demyx from questioning Roxas the whole ride home.

            “Ready to go, Roxas?” Demyx asked, laughing at Axel’s reaction.

            “Yep. I’m meeting up with Axel later so you can just drop me off at my place if you don’t mind,” Roxas said, yanking on his shoes. He still wore his toga from the night before as they hadn’t brought a change of clothes to sleep in. He thanked whatever god there was that Demyx had parked nearby. Making the walk to the car would have been far to embarrassing for the blonde.

            “Works for me. See you Monday, Axel?” Demyx said, turning towards the redhead one last time before heading out.

            “Of course, Dem. Go get some sleep. See you in a couple hours, Rox.” Axel waved at the two as they clambered into the elevator and disappeared from sight. With a sigh, Axel scratched at the back of his neck and turned around.

            “Morning bro,” Reno said, startling Axel so badly that he jumped. Reno had been leaning in the kitchen doorway through the entire conversation and brief goodbye.

            “Fuck Reno. You need to stop sneaking up on people. You’re going to give me a damn heart attack,” Axel said, brushing past his older brother into the kitchen. Axel was on a mission that involved caffeine. A lot of caffeine.

            “Sorry. You get any sleep?” Although Reno’s words were innocent enough, the tone implied so much more.

            “Sure did, thanks for asking,” Axel said, ignoring the jest and pouring himself a giant cup of coffee. Axel liked his coffee black, the darker the better.

            “You and Roxas talk?”

            “About what?”

            “Guess not then. Let me know when you do. I’m heading back to bed. You can let yourself out when you go, yah?” Reno called over his shoulder, already half way down the hall to his bedroom. The apartment itself was a mess from the party, but Reno didn’t seem to mind and Rude was nowhere in sight.

            Axel stood in the kitchen, sipping his coffee as he puzzled over the brief conversation he had with his brother. _Talk to Roxas? Why do I need to do that and why does Reno sound so serious?_

            Shrugging off the state of confusion that his brother had left him in, he finished his coffee and made his way to the bathroom. He’d figure out the cryptic conversation later. Right now he needed scalding hot water pouring down his body.

 

            The day wore on, and after getting dressed and popping a couple Tylenol, Axel found himself at the Sandlot half an hour early before the time he and Roxas had agreed upon. He’d chosen the Sandlot not only for the open space to skateboard, but also because it was close to his favourite ice cream stand and his favourite place in the town: the clock tower. Axel’s nerves were getting the best of him, making him pace back and forth. A few passer-by’s watched him, not quite sure what to make out of the tall teenager who was looking more and more worried as time rolled on.

            Axel’s fears were staunched however, when Roxas rolled up to him, backpack slung over his right shoulder. He’d opted to wear looser fitting jeans and a baggy sweater so that he could move around more. The sweater was a good call since it was now the first of November and a brisk autumn chill had encased the town.

            “Hey Ax! Ready to learn?” Roxas couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face when he saw Axel’s warry gaze fall on the skateboard in question.

 Axel knew that if it meant spending time with Roxas he would do it, but as for the actual skateboarding, he wasn’t really sure that he was going to be able to stand up on it. Taking the board from Roxas, Axel grinned confidently back at the blonde. He had to at least fake like he was excited to try the activity he had no experience in. Axel had more than enough athletic ability and he was banking on that it wouldn’t be too difficult to learn, because of it. He was wrong.

            The first five attempts at simply standing on the board, had left Axel flat on his ass. By the third one, Roxas was bent over, laughing hysterically. Axel’s face was sculpted into a look of shock as his butt thudded onto the ground again. _How the actual fuck did Roxas stand on this stupid thing? Let alone move on it._

            Grumbling to himself, Axel stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants. He was grateful that his hangover had subsided substantially since the morning/early afternoon or else all this falling would have been much more hazardous. He whirled around to face the still laughing Roxas.

            “Okay, Mr. Know It All. Teach me, ‘cause clearly I can’t do this shit by myself,” Axel demanded, thrusting the board back at the blonde. Roxas took the board, still chuckling softly at the disgruntled look on Axel’s face. Roxas’ hangover had seemingly eased up as well, as he wasn’t grimacing nearly as much as he had been when they had woken up.

            “Alright, alright. You have to be more balanced getting on. Here, step onto it, but hold my hands for balance,” Roxas said, setting the board down and giving an encouraging smile to the skeptical redhead. Axel rolled his eyes but moved to do as he was asked. Carefully he stepped onto the board, gripping Roxas’ hands like a vice. The pair looked ridiculous, with the taller boy towering over the other while standing atop a skateboard, hands locked in a death grip. Axel found it much easier to balance with the help of the blonde to lean on.

            “There ya, go Ax! I’m going to let go, okay? Keep your knees bent and your balance centered,” Roxas reassured, gingerly letting go of Axel’s hands. He didn’t step too far away from the board, making sure he’d be able to grab Axel if he began to fall again. Axel followed Roxas’ instructions, keeping his balance centred. He was so intently focused, he didn’t realize he was actually doing it, until Roxas gave him a push, making the board move forward.

            “HOLY FUCK I’M DOING IT! ROX, I’M DOING IT!” Axel whooped, pumping one fist into the air, but still maintaining his balance.

            “Go Ax!” Roxas cheered, still following the slow moving bored. He wouldn’t tell Axel that although he was in fact moving, it was rather slow and he hadn’t actually pushed off with his own feet yet. Axel was beyond thrilled that he had managed to even stay upright, and Roxas wasn’t about to take that joy away from him. Axel continued on his slow, straight line, until he realized that he didn’t know a vital key to skateboarding.

            “Wait, Rox, how do I stop?” Axel said, panic creeping into his voice at the realization he had no idea how he was going to get off.

            “Erm…. Jump?” Roxas couldn’t find the words to actually describe stopping and he was pretty sure that if he attempted to, Axel would just end up falling off. This left him with only one recommendation: jump off.

            Axel didn’t hesitate. He leapt off the board, bracing himself on the cement with bent knees and landing with an easy grace. Jumping off was much easier than standing on the board itself. Smiling, Axel threw both hands into the air triumphantly, letting a victorious yell bellow across the Sandlot. Roxas mimicked his actions, before running after the board which was still rolling slightly, making its way towards the hill at the end of the Sandlot. After collecting the skateboard, Roxas trotted back over to where the redhead had taken a seat on the steps.

            “Think you can do that again? This time I won’t hang on,” Roxas challenged. Their eyes met, and the glint that sparked in the green ones, proved that Axel was more than willing to accept the challenge. Axel shot up from his seat and took the board back from the blonde, giving him a confident smile.

            “Fuck yes I am.”

            The boys continued their lesson. Roxas learned that patience was a necessity when it came to Axel, as his frustration grew again when he fell after trying to push off to make himself move on his own. The crowds around the Sandlot had begun to clear, leaving just the boys and a few stragglers left. The day was coming to an end, and the sun began to sink towards the horizon. Many attempts and many words of encouragement later, Axel had finally managed to push off and skateboard and complete a full circuit of the Sandlot. Coming back to Roxas, he jumped off the board, and after picking it up, went and sat on the steps beside Roxas with a thunk.

            “Knew you could do it Ax. Just had to keep trying,” Roxas looked over at the redhead who was still beaming with pride.

            “Only because I had such a good teacher,” Axel replied, throwing a teasing wink in. “Speaking of which, I owe this teacher. Ice cream sound good?”

            “I’m not going to pass on free ice cream, and you did say it would help my hangover.”

            “Didn’t think ya would. Still feeling that it, huh?” Axel said, standing up. With one hand wrapped around the board, he reached his other hand out to help Roxas stand up. The teen took it, using it as leverage to pull himself up.

            Axel led the way over to the ice cream stand. The roads of Twilight Town were empty, as most of the town’s people had headed home. Being a small town, it was quiet, with a minimal nightlife. Most people were back in their homes by the time the sun set. Despite it being November 1st, it was still warm enough in the evening to wear a hoodie. The ice cream stand was small and just across from the clock tower, which played directly into Axel’s plans.

            “The usual?” The man running the stand asked. Axel had been there enough times for the owner to recognize him and have his order memorized.

            “You betcha, Steve. But two today,” Axel said, motioning to Roxas beside him.

            “Sure thing! Two sea-salt ice creams coming up,” the owner replied, turning around and grabbing the boy’s ice creams from the freezer.

            “Sea-salt?” Roxas asked, one eyebrow raised.

            “Just trust me on this,” Axel chuckled, turning back to pay the man and get their ice cream. “Come on, Roxy. I know a place,” he grabbed Roxas’ free hand and dragged him out of the store and across the street. He led Roxas through a gate and up the stairs.

            “Ax, are you sure we’re allowed to be here?” Roxas said, looking concerned as they reached the top of the stairs.

            “Well, no. But I’ve done it plenty of times and no one’s ever stopped me,” Axel shrugged, going around the corner. Roxas followed hesitantly, but all hesitation and concern were lost when he rounded the corner. The view was breathtaking. The entire town lay before them, bathed in the suns dying glow. Flares of orange, red, and yellow burst across the sky, encasing the sky in flames. The glow washed across the buildings, making them look as if they were plated in gold. A million questions had been flitting through Roxas’ mind, but everything had gone quiet as he followed Axel so that he was sitting beside him on the ledge. Their feet dangling over the sidewalk far below.

“Don’t forget about the ice cream,” Axel reminded, taking his own out of the wrapper and taking a large, satisfying lick. Roxas followed suit, tentavily tasting the strange flavour.

“Mmm… It’s salty, but sweet too. It’s delicious.” Roxas eyes widened in surprise as the flavour melted onto his tongue. He quickly went to eat the rest of the bar.

“Told you.” The boys sat in silence for a while, enjoying the sunset and eating their ice cream. The sun continued to sink lower and lower, the flames from the sunset expanding across the sky.

            “I remember you saying that you missed the sunsets on the islands. So I figured that maybe this will help,” Axel said, voice barely above a whisper, but still loud enough to break the spellbinding silence that had them enraptured.

            “It does. Axel, it’s beautiful. Thank you,” Roxas murmured, voice just as hushed and eyes still trained on the horizon.

“Bet you don’t know why the sun sets red,” Axel said, grinning as he watched the blonde, but not waiting for him to respond. “You see, light is made up of lots of colours. And out of all those colours, red is the one that travels the farthest.”

“Like I asked, know-it-all,” Roxas laughed softly. Dropping his now finished ice cream stick to the concrete below. His eyes never left the glowing sunset, a soft smile playing across his lips.

Axel wasn’t looking at the sunset anymore though, instead focusing on the blonde beside him. His friends face was captivating as the sunset reflected on his pale skin. His eyes had become mirrors, the blue capturing the reds and oranges that painted the sky, creating delicate rainbows that Axel found himself drowning in. He knew he needed to turn away, but found himself moving closer instead. Breathing became labored as the intensity rose within him.

Roxas had yet to notice how close Axel had gotten to him, until he felt the warm breath brush against his cheek. He turned slowly, startling slightly at the proximity of Axel. Since Roxas was now facing Axel, they were nose to nose, with their breath mingling. Neither spoke, the tension only building higher between them. It felt like many minutes passed, but in reality it was only seconds.

“Axel… What’re you doing?” Roxas breathed, leaning closer to the redhead. Their lips were practically touching. All Roxas had to do was lean a little further…

Axel jumped up from their intimate position, startling Roxas back from his precarious position. Axel shot out a hand and grabbed the blonde’s arm, steadying him so he did not take the plummet downwards to the sidewalk. The boys stared at one another, breathing raggedly. They’d almost kissed. Axel’s mind whirled, starting a cycle of panic. He wanted that kiss, and Roxas hadn’t moved away. So why did he jump back? Axel knew the answer as soon as he thought the question. He couldn’t lose Roxas. Roxas’ friendship was more important than the potential of only having one kiss. It was that realization that made him promise that if anything was to ever advance between the two of them, it would because Roxas initiated it. He was giving up control, in order to keep Roxas in his life.

“Come on, Rox. It’s getting dark and we should head home.”

Roxas was still in shock from their close encounter, but he nodded regardless. Slowly standing up, he watched Axel nervously rub the back of his head, causing the red spikes to become messier than they had been. The blonde followed the taller boy silently down the stairs of the clock tower.

They walked together in silence for a while, until Axel remembered something his brother had said earlier that day.

“Hey Rox, Reno said I needed to talk to you about something. Any idea what that’s about?” Axel stopped mid-stride, causing the blonde to stop alongside him. They turned to face each other, Roxas’ cheeks turning a light pink in the dying light.

“Erm, you know how I kind of disappeared for a bit last night?” Roxas looked down at his feet, kicking at the dirt under his shoes. He couldn’t meet Axel’s eyes when he told him. It was too painful.

“Sure. I went looking for you for over an hour,” Axel said, tilting his head slightly.

“Well, I was pretty drunk and I got pretty confused. Anyways, I wandered down the hall with all the bedrooms and found myself in Reno’s room. He was there, and I kissed him. I guess I thought he was someone else, I don’t know. I’m sorry Axel. It was a huge mistake. I didn’t mean to, and I had no idea he was your brother. I… I fucked up.” Roxas buried his face into his hands, cringing at his own words. He wanted to run as far away as he could, but instead he stayed put, waiting desperately for Axel’s response.

The response was slow, Axel taking his time to think of what to say. He was a flurry of emotions, all of which were overwhelming in their own right. He wasn’t exactly angry. Disappointed? Sure. Upset? Definitely. But angry? No. Axel looked at Roxas, and saw the sadness and fear that contorted his features.

“Rox, if it was a mistake, I’m not angry. Maybe I’m a little angry at Reno, but definitely not at you. You’re amazing and a great person and you were very drunk last night. My brother, he’s… Well honestly I don’t know what he is. A basket case to say the least. Roxy, please look at me,” Axel finished, grabbing hold of Roxas’ hands and pulling them away from his face.

Tentatively, Roxas looked up into the emerald green eyes that he so wished he had found last night. The soft smile Axel was giving him broke down any barriers he had left. He felt the tears slip down his cheek. Axel gently brushed each one away, pulling Roxas into a warm hug. They stood there for what could have been hours, but was probably only minutes. The silence was comfortable, as the two clung to each other.

“Thank you, Axel. I’m so sorry.” Roxas whispered, letting his words carry into the stillness of the night.

“You’re welcome, Roxy. Thank you for telling me.” Axel smiled, letting the two of them stay in the embrace for a little while longer. Once they finally broke apart, Axel felt his heart beat heavily in his chest. He didn’t want to let Roxas go, but he knew that the night was coming to an end. The sense of hope that had overcome him though, was enough for him to let the blonde walk off into the night with a small wave and a smile. Where they stood was unknown, but the chance and hope that it held was something that Axel was going to cling onto.

Later that night, after they had texted each other good night, and thanked each other for the fantastic day, Roxas lay awake thinking. Memories of their almost-intimacy lingered; stalling any chance of sleep that he was going to have. Roxas thought about what the consequences would have been if he had closed the distance, if he had moved faster. Would Axel like it? Did Axel want to be kissed by him? They’d had so many close encounters over the last day and a bit. Dancing together, waking up together, the clock tower… He couldn’t deny the attraction that flowed between the two of them. Laying in his bed he said a silent thank you to whomever may have been listening. Axel had forgiven him. Axel was most likely attracted to him; that he liked him. Would Roxas be able to do anything about it however? There was no doubt he wanted to, but to actually get the nerve to act was a feat that in Roxas’ eyes was nearly impossible.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Roxas slammed his head into the pillow. One image permanently stuck on his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop picturing Axel’s eyes as they had been when they were so close atop the clock tower; green and burning with what Roxas hoped was desire. When sleep finally hit, dreams of fiery sunsets and scorching heat overwhelmed him, causing shivers to run up his spine throughout the night.

Axel wasn’t having much luck in the sleep department either once he had gotten home. It was nearly 2:00 am by the time he had given up on trying to sleep. He’d spent most of the time laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling and letting the entirety of the last 30 some hours hit him like a ton of bricks. Axel needed to talk and there was only one person he could think of to call.

” _Hello?”_ The voice rang over the line.

            “Hey Reno,” Axel sighed, relieved that Reno was still awake to answer a phone call.

            “ _Why are you still awake? And why the fuck you calling me at two in the morning, yo?”_ Reno’s words were harsh, but his tone wasn’t. Axel knew that his brother’s way with words had always been on the more crass side of things. Despite the late hour, Reno’s voice sounded awake and lively.

            “Can’t sleep, and you told me to call you once I talked to Roxas” Axel said, picking at a hang nail as he continued to stare at the ceiling. His eyes raked over the roof above his head, looking for some answer that wasn’t there.

            “ _And?”_ Reno said, voice tensing slightly. Axel rarely called his brother, understanding that the other redhead was almost always busy doing untold things for his government job, so when Axel did call, it was always about something important.

            “He apologized,” Axel ran his free hand threw his red spikes.

            “ _Shit hey? That’s a pretty big step. What else happened?”_ The voice chuckled, letting Axel continue on.

            “We got really close. Almost kissed on the tower. That was before he told me. Afterwards we kinda just hung onto each other for a while. I don’t know what it means but Reno?” Axel squeezed his eyes shut, trying to reject what he was about to say.

            “ _Yeah?”_ Reno sounded slightly nervous. He had no clue what Axel had to say and he was already tensing in preparation for the harsh words that would surely fly through the phone.

            “I’m falling pretty hard for him,” Axel flipped over and buried his face into the pillow, embarrassed to admit the feelings that had fully blossomed within him.

            “ _You’re calling me because you have feelings? Ax, I’m actually going to murder you.”_ Once again the words were rude, but the tone was filled with laughter and relief. His brother was happy that nothing notably serious had happened.

            “I have feelings, and you know what happens when my feelings get out of control,” Axel growled into the phone. Despite the joking tone that Reno had, Axel was still serious.

            “ _Yah, yah, I know. Did Roxas indicate that he feels the same?”_

            ”Kind of? I think he does, but I don’t want to push him. I don’t want to lose him as a friend, Reno.”

            “ _Then I suggest you let him decide on what happens. I’m sure it’ll work out, bro.”_

            “That’s what I thought, too. Needed my brother’s stamp of approval though,” Axel let a small smile play across his lips.

            “ _Glad you did and glad you guys talked, yo. If you need any more advice, feel free to call or text,”_ a rustle could be heard on the other end of the line, followed by some distant shouting. “ _Shit! I gotta run, Ax. Love ya. Take care of Kairi.”_ And the line went dead.

            Axel clutched his phone to his ear for a little longer, hoping that his brother was alright.

            “Love you too, Reno. Oh and one more thing,” Axel said, smirking into his pillow.

            “ _Yeah?”_

“If you ever touch, kiss or flirt with Roxas again, I will knock you the fuck out.” Axel’s words were met with a pause of silence. The line had gone completely quiet, until laughter exploded on the other end. Axel couldn’t help but join in, chuckling softly.

            “ _Oh c’mon, Ax. He’s pretty cute.”_

            ”Reno…” The laughter stopped. Axel’s voice became more of a warning as he growled out his brother’s name.

            _“I’m only joking. I swear I won’t. Now go to bed. Night!”_ The line went dead. Reno had clicked the end call button before Axel could say anything more.

 Axel was left in silence, staring at the ceiling as the darkness crept in around him. His conversation with Reno had helped. Reno had put him at ease about not only his feelings, but on how he should act on them. Sleep began to overtake the redhead, and letting his eyes close, images of crystalline blue eyes reflecting the rays of a brilliant sunset took over his mind.


	8. Secrets Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the boys have a lot of feelings and well... 
> 
>  
> 
> ayyyy a little akuroku action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh look, a chapter that's on schedule. i don't know why some indentations come through on here and others don't... This format confuses me and i'm literally just copying and pasting from word so *shrugs*
> 
> THE SHIT STORM IS COMING PEOPLE. GRAB A FUCKING UMBRELLA (or in other words, this is the lead up to the tags that haven't been implemented yet, and those begin firing in full force in the next few chapters)
> 
> read and enjoy, or don't. you know the drill.

November wore on, the cold overtaking the air. Snow had fallen, blanketing Twilight Town with white fluff. Now the middle of December, the term was coming to an end. Roxas and Axel’s relationship stayed stagnant, remaining as friends, although that friendship only progressively got closer. Neither boy took the leap to talk about the clock tower, or Halloween. Roxas and Axel each wanted more from the other, but both were too scared to take the chance. So the weekend filled with moments that had passed between them went by without being talked about.

Lunches stayed the same, with Sora even joining them once in a while. Sora had become fairly popular among the lower grade levels, as he was a natural social butterfly. He’d made a best friend in a silver haired boy named Riku. Riku was a year older than Sora, but they shared a few classes together. He’d been around to the apartment that the brothers were staying in with their uncle, and to Roxas he seemed nice enough. Although, Roxas thought that Riku was rather overprotective of the smaller boy, but shrugged it off, happy that Sora had such a loyal friend.

 Roxas had noticed how students acted around himself. The change was significant. Where they once eyed him with curiosity and flashed friendly smiles, their eyes were now filled with hostility and frowns. They were giving similar looks and whispers that they gave Axel. He still didn’t know where the root of the animosity came from, but he never once thought it a good idea to ask Axel the questions that he desperately wanted to be say. Their friendship was the closest that Roxas had ever previously had, even on the islands, but there was something about the topic that appeared to be taboo around the redhead. So he let it be, hoping that when Axel was ready, he would talk to him and tell him what the cause of the school hatred was.

The more time they spent together however, the more time Roxas found himself pushing emotions he could not quite name, down around Axel. He wanted to say something. To do something that would help clarify whatever it was he was going through. Axel’s smile and laugh sent shivers up his spine that were both delightful and terrifying. Roxas found himself becoming hyper aware of Axel at all times, but what truly terrified him was not knowing if Axel felt the same way. Axel had forgiven him for something that he was sure was going to ruin their friendship. Since the day on the clock tower, his dreams had been filled with glinting green eyes and hair that was far too red to be natural. The dreams caused long sleepless nights, but seeing the real thing every day was what pushed him over the edge. Roxas wanted the moments he got to spend with Axel to never end. Moments like those were filled with surprises and laughter, things he had sorely missed since his parents had passed away. After many nights deliberating he could no longer deny that he was attracted to the strange teen.

The week before the term break, Professor Vexen decided it was time to put the class partners to a test. He had assigned them to perform an experiment, which Roxas and Axel had done. They’d decided to test the explosiveness of different chemicals, much to Axel’s delight. It was two days before the end of term when Professor Vexen announced the final portion of their project.

“Class, tomorrow I want you and your partner to present your findings to the rest of the class. I suggest you find some time to plan with your partner what you’re going to say, as this is worth 20% of your final grade.” His beady eyes raked over the class, scrutinizing every student. The bell rang, and Axel and Roxas stood up gather their stuff.

Axel slung his bag over his shoulder, following Roxas out of the class. Once in the hallway, he began to speak.

“Hey Roxas? Want to come over after school and finish up our project? We can order pizza or whatever. Should have the house to ourselves tonight. Pretty sure everyone’s out doing something.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll just have to tell Sora I won’t be home tonight.” Roxas did his best to keep his voice even, as his heart was beating a hundred miles a minute at the prospect of being at Axel’s house.

“Perfect,” Axel said, looking delighted by the answer the shorter boy had given. As it had been a few weeks since they had gotten the chance to spend time together outside of school. They weren’t avoiding each other, but both of their schedules had been overflowing with homework. Even Axel who typically would breeze through his studies found himself swamped with assignments. Senior year was kicking their asses. So when Professor Vexen had given them the opportunity to make time and hang out, Axel was ecstatic.

On the walk home from school with Roxas by his side, Axel had been all smiles. He had sworn that today was the day he was finally the day he was going to do something about his feelings. Nobody was home. It was just the two of them, and the realization of that shot shivers up his spine. He was still planning on letting Roxas take the lead. Whatever he wanted, or didn’t want, they could do. But he was going to lay his feelings out in the open and let the chips fall where they may. One of them needed to take the leap of faith. It was either now, or never. Axel was never as thankful as he was that day with how close he lived to the school. On the way over, they grabbed two bars of sea-salt ice cream, satisfying the craving that Axel had instilled in Roxas. He’d made getting ice cream a habit now that he’d been exposed to the glory that was sea-salt. Ice cream finished, the boys soon found themselves standing outside Axel’s house.

Roxas gasped as he looked up at what he presumed to be Axel’s house. Big was an understatement when describing the home. It was a mansion, complete with giant stone columns, and an oversized driveway. There were what appeared to be a couple of fancy cars that adorned the driveway, but Roxas was far too focused on the doorway at the end of the path Axel was leading them down to take any notice. Growing up on the island, Roxas was used to small homes that more often than not, didn’t have air conditioning, let alone perfectly trimmed yards. Moving into his uncle’s place was no different. They were in a small apartment on the wrong side of town. He didn’t belong in in this setting.

Axel continued on the way, opening the door and giving an almost shy smile to Roxas as he entered right behind him. The entrance way was just as lavish as the outside.  A grand staircase lead up to what Roxas presumed were the bedrooms. He couldn’t help being surprised that there weren’t servants running around.

“You actually live here?” Roxas gasped, eyes still wide as he continued to look around.

Axel looked back at him from where he was taking off his shoes. “Unfortunately. Parents are a far too extravagant. But they’re also hardly ever home, so…” He trailed off, shrugging. After the boys had removed their coats and shoes, Axel grabbed Roxas’ hand, “Let’s head up to my room to do this assignment. My computers up there.” Before waiting to hear a response, Axel proceeded to drag Roxas up the grand staircase. Axel didn’t let himsef think about what he had done. Instead he just continued to pull Roxas along, too excited to let himself stop and think for a moment.

Roxas eyes widened at the contact, his heart beating rapidly. He both wanted to yank his hand away, and clutch onto it for dear life. The adventure to Axel’s house was turning into an unpredictable mess, and Roxas wasn’t sure if that fact was making him more or less nervous. Heading down the hallway at the top of the staircase, Roxas took the opportunity to peek into one of the rooms that’s door was slightly open. He noticed a distinctly feminine décor in the room; the walls covered in pink wallpaper and paper cut-out butterflies.

“Do you have a sister?” Roxas asked. Through all the time Axel and he had spent together, Axel had never talked about his family, and Roxas didn’t think it was polite to pry. All he knew was Reno, and that had been one of the most unfortunate ways of meeting someone that Roxas could imagine. Even though their meeting had been weird (to say the least), Roxas had decided that he liked Reno. Axel and he had talked about Axel’s older brother a few times since the clock tower. From the sounds of it, Reno was Axel’s favourite family member and someone that he could count on. Knowing Axel had someone in his family like that made Roxas smile. Which was why Roxas was curious about this potential sister.

_Shit,_ Axel thought. He didn’t want anyone to know about Kairi, as he was still fearful that his horrible reputation around the school would then pass on to her. Axel knew that she didn’t deserve that. Looking at the blonde, Axel made the decision that he had no need to worry about Kairi’s reputation with him. Roxas wasn’t the type to pass judgement, and everything he’d seen from the blonde thus far proved Roxas was definitely trust worthy. They stood in front of her room, looking at each other, confusion written across both of their faces.

“Um, yah. She’s a freshman this year. Her name’s Kairi.”

“Kairi’s your sister? Her and Sora are really good friends. She’s always at our apartment. How come you never told me she’s your sister?” Roxas asked.

“I didn’t want anyone to know,” Axel mumbled, clearly embarrassed. His cheeks had taken a faint dusting of pink. Roxas knew Kairi? Kairi was over at their _house_ all the time and he had no idea. Axel had never been jealous of his sister but standing there now, the distinct pang of jealousy hit him like a brick.

“Why not, Ax?” Roxas was staring at him curiously. There was so much he didn’t know about the redhead, but he wanted to discover it all. Roxas saw the flicker of anger across Axel’s face. It was brief, but the way Axel’s emerald green eyes began to burn made Roxas apprehensive to what was going to come next.

“Because I don’t want them treating her like they treat me!” Axel exploded. Something had finally snapped deep inside him. “I know you’ve seen the way the other students look at me. They hate me, Roxas. I don’t want them to hurt her too.” He could feel the heat rising in his body. Axel spun on his heel, heading towards what Roxas assumed to be his bedroom. Roxas dutifully followed, apprehension rising significantly.

Once reaching his bedroom, Roxas’ mouth dropped open. “Um Ax… you’re steaming.” He didn’t know for sure what was going on, but he knew that whatever was about to happen, would be a moment that would change everything.

Physical steam was rising off of Axel’s skin. No not steam. Smoke. How was that possible? There was no fire present, but nonetheless, Axel’s skin was smoking. Axel was pacing his room like a wild animal; fighting some battle that Roxas was not present in.

Stopping in the centre of the room, Axel’s head dropped. Still not looking up, he spoke softly, but still hammering out the words. “You want to know why everyone hates me, right? Why I’m constantly whispered about or glared at as I walk down the hallways?”

Roxas didn’t respond, he just watched the redhead. Axel was scaring him, but he didn’t leave. He needed to know what was going on. Axel meant more to him than whatever secret was about to be revealed, but the way the taller boy was acting was causing Roxas to panic. Finally, Roxas nodded numbly in reply.

Axel stepped around the unmoving blonde, closing the door softly, then moved back to the centre of the room, pulling up the chair that was tucked into his desk. He sat down, not caring if Roxas stayed standing or sat on his bed. It didn’t matter anyways, he was sure. He was positive that Roxas would bolt from the room and never speak to him again once he knew the truth.

“Did anyone ever tell you about the fire that happened at the school a few years ago?” Axel asked, after some silent minutes had passed, still refusing any eye contact.

“I heard the back building burnt down a few years ago. What does that have to do with anything?” Roxas asked, puzzled by the seemingly random question.

            With a great sigh, Axel pressed on. “Did anyone tell you I’m the one who caused it?” With that Axel opened his hands, which until now had been clenched into two angry fists. Flames danced across his palms, licking at the boy’s pale skin. Axel clenched his fists again, slowly raising his head to meet the ice-blue eyes that were staring at him in a combination of shock and horror.

            Roxas was lost for words. His mind was reeling at the sight he had just seen. He couldn’t bring any sound to his lips. He just stared. Roxas was scared but some part of him was screaming that it couldn’t be real. _This isn’t real. None of this is even possible_ , Roxas thought. He wanted to say something to the redhead, to comfort him and let him know that even though he was in shock, he didn’t care that Axel had some weird powers. Roxas wanted to say all of that and more, but Axel didn’t wait for Roxas to speak.

            “See I’m a monster, Roxas. If the building had just burned down, I think the kids would have gotten over it. But someone was in the building,” Axel whispered. With a deep inhale, holding his breath for a moment, and then exhaling out of lips that were pressed into a tight grimace, he continued. “I _killed_ someone, Roxas. A girl was in there when I went manic and set the building a-fucking-blaze. I’m a fucking monster,” his voice turned into a growl as the words fell from his lips. His skin began to itch with the heat that was rising within him. Every part of his body was screaming to let loose, but he couldn’t. Not with Roxas still standing there.

            Roxas still hadn’t said anything. He just continued to stare at Axel, examining the redhead fully. Minutes passed. Roxas had slid down, so that he was sitting against the wall with his back pressed firmly against it. Axel hadn’t moved, either, remaining in his chair with fists still tightly clenched. Emerald eyes were trained on the blonde, waiting for any sort of reaction. Minutes turned into half an hour, with neither boy wanting to be the one to break the silence. Roxas was trying to piece together what he had just seen. Time was indefinite, the tension palpable, and the silence unbearable. Axel knew he had to say something or else they would remain in the stale mate they were in indefinitely.

            “Please, just say something,” Axel pleaded, desperation seeping out into his voice.

            “I… How.. _What the fuck is with the flames?”_ Roxas blurted out, after trying to start the sentence.

            The redhead burst into crazed laughter. He’d doubled over, almost wheezing from hysterics. Roxas stared at Axel, more worried than scared now.

            “Out of all the things. _That’s_ what bothers you? I admit that I killed someone, and you go with ‘ _what the fuck is with the flames’?_ ” Axel gasped, between spurts of laughter, still doubled over the chair.

The blonde boy sat still for a moment, then suddenly he stood up, crossing the room quickly and knelt before the redhead. “Show me again,” Roxas demanded. His face was set with determination. No way was Axel pushing him away.  

Axel’s head snapped up, looking bewildered. Desperately he searched Roxas’ eyes for any sign of fear, relieved to find none. _Is he not scared of me?_ Axel wondered. Keeping eye contact, Axel unclenched his fist, then slowly lifted his palm up, allowing the flames to reappear. They danced along his hands, swirling up to his finger tips and looping between them. Roxas watched, hypnotized. He couldn’t peel his eyes away from the orange and red that was flicking across Axel’s skin. It was dangerous, but beautiful. He wanted to touch it. As slowly as Axel had opened his hands, Roxas raised his own to touch the flames.

With Roxas’ fingers inches away from the burning flames, Axel yanked his hand away. Quickly he closed his fists, extinguishing the flames. Eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and fear. “Don’t you get it Roxy? I _killed_ someone because of this.”

“Did you mean to do it?” Roxas asked, the question startling the redhead. The question was so simple, and not at all what Axel expected.

“Of course not! I’m not insane. Well I might be insane, but I’m not capable of killing someone” Axel gasped.

“Then it was an accident. Guilt is natural, but you don’t need to hate yourself over it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tragic. But clearly whatever this is, it’s very much emotionally triggered. Am I right?” Roxas asked, resting his hand on Axel’s knee, trying to coax the redhead out of his shame.

“Yes…” Axel whispered, guilt still plaguing his voice.

“Then it isn’t really your fault. You’re no monster, Axel.” The ice-blue eyes met emerald. Axel couldn’t look away. He was the one who was now hypnotized.

“Roxas…” Axel breathed. His voice was so soft he didn’t know if the other boy had heard him. “Roxas…” he repeated.

“Yes, Axel?” Roxas whispered back. Flashbacks from the first day in the locker room and the sunset at the clock tower flooded into the blondes head. Axel’s body was so close to him, lips just out of reach. The tipping point was the memory of their bodies pressed flush against each other while they were dancing at the Halloween party. Roxas had wanted to take the plunge then, but he’d been to drunk and made a mistake. Now however, he was completely sober and Axel was right in front of him. If he was going to do this, it needed to be now.

Kneeling in front of Axel, Roxas raised his right hand, and slowly cupped Axel’s chin, running along the soft, pale skin. He could feel both of their pulses quicken. Licking his lips nervously, he began to lean forward. Axel’s eyes fluttered closed. Roxas felt soft warmth bloom across the point of contact. Their lips met, tentatively moving against each other. Axel jerked slightly at the contact, the realization that all the dreams he had about this moment were finally coming true. Just as quickly as he had startled, Axel relaxed back into the gentle touch. Filled with curiosity and nerves, the kiss continued on. Slowly the kiss grew more confident between the two. Axel decided now was a good time to push the limits, biting at Roxas’ lower lip. The reaction he received was exciting, but surprising.

Roxas was suddenly pushing his mouth harder and braver against Axel. His tongue forced his way into the redhead’s mouth, exploring the deepest corners he could reach. Roxas was becoming intoxicated with the mixture of a faint cinnamon smell and the taste of sea-salt ice cream. He let out a small moan into Axel’s mouth. The sound made Axel gasp and pull back slightly. Emerald eyes looked at Roxas in awe. Roxas blushed slightly, but he followed Axel back, climbing into his lap so that he was straddling Axel in the chair and brought their mouths back together.

Axel met Roxas’ kiss with enthusiasm. He wrapped the blonde’s wild spikes of hair into his fingers, causing Roxas to mirror his actions. Axel trailed his hands down the smaller teen’s body, resting them on his waist. Axel was amazed with the feel of Roxas’ body against his, and his hands spread out wide against Roxas’ lower back, pressing them closer together. The only other time they’d been connected so closely had been Halloween, and that had caused Axel to only want to pull the blonde closer to him. Now with the ability to feel Roxas’ whole body pressed against him, he shivered with lust. Their mouths moved feverishly against each other, their pulses hammering quickly together in time. The world around them had gone foggy. All that existed were Axel and Roxas. Everything else faded to black around them.

“Hey Axel!” The door to Axel’s room flew open, revealing Kairi standing there. “Oh my god!” She squealed. The boys launched themselves away from one another, but it was too late. They were caught. Breathing heavily, their eyes widened at the sight at the door. Behind Kairi stood Sora, mouth gaping at his older brother.

            Roxas eyes darted to the door. _Fuck._ He felt his face burn a brilliant shade of red, almost blending into the hair that he had tangled his hands into moments before. In the attempt to break apart, Roxas had fallen onto the floor, laying on his back and staring at the door. The silence between the four of them was deafening. No one moved. Kairi and Sora stood in the doorway, jaws completely unhinged as they looked at their brothers.

            “Kairi…” Axel growled, his voice breaking the awkward spell.

 With a miserable yelp, Roxas buried his face into his hands, embarrassed that his little brother had walked in on him making out. And not just making out, but with a guy. He’d never told Sora that he was gay. Hadn’t fully known it himself until he had met Axel. But here he was, practically dry humping a guy. _Guess that’s one way of coming out,_ Roxas thought bitterly.

            “Kairi, don’t you know how to knock?” Axel was shooting the other redhead deathly glares from across the room.

            “Well I thought you’d be alone…” She squeaked, trailing off and staring at the horrified blonde. At this, Sora snapped, pushing his way into the room, rage flaring in his blue eyes.

            “What the fuck are you doing to my brother?” Sora demanded. He was inches away from Axel. To Sora’s credit, he didn’t flinch or step back as Axel stood up, towering over the young brunette.

            Axel sneered, “Nothing he didn’t want.”

            Roxas crawled over to the side of the room, so that his back was pressed firmly against the wall. He grabbed a sweater that had been discarded on the floor and proceeded to bury his face into it. _This is all a dream. I’m sleeping at home in bed and not watching my brother and my…_ What was Axel? He didn’t think they were dating but certainly more than friends after the intimate and rather intense moment they’d just shared. No matter what Axel was, the standoff that was happening in Axel’s room was making him beyond uncomfortable. Roxas peeked up over the sweater as the room had gone very quiet. Sora had moved away from Axel, focusing his attention on his brother, eye brows furrowed in concern. He knelt over the blonde in a way that suggested he was the older of the two. Sora shouldn’t be the one doing the consoling, but here he was, worried about his older brother’s well-being.

            “Roxas… Are you okay?” Sora’s voice shifted to one of worry, moving to put a hand on his older brother’s shoulder in a sign of comfort.

            Roxas nodded, blue eyes wide. He looked past Sora to the boy who had been passionately kissing him only moments before. Axel’s anger had dissipated, leaving a look of ease and something else… Was that amusement that Roxas saw glinting in the corners of those green eyes? He had gone over to lean against his desk, all the while keeping his eyes focused on the blonde. As their eyes met, Axel smirked. He saw that he had gotten to Roxas; that their kiss had sparked something inside the blonde that was causing an internal war.

            “I want verbal conformation that you’re okay,” Sora demanded, eyes hardening slightly.

            “I’m… I’m fine. Why are you here? You said you were going home!” Roxas finally fired back, attempting to regain control of the conversation.

            “Don’t you ever check your phone? I texted saying I was going over to a Kairi’s house. Anyways,” Sora turned, looking pointedly at Axel, “if you do anything to hurt my brother, I will personally kick your ass.” Axel’s grin widened. This kid was a foot and a half shorter than himself, but he knew that the threat was more of a promise than anything.

            Axel raised his hands up in the air, “I promise I won’t do anything to hurt your brother.” He paused for a moment, and then with a wicked smirk added, “Unless he wants me too.”

            This caused both Sora and Roxas to blush all over. Roxas grabbed the sweater and with a very audible groan, buried his head back into it. Kairi who had remained silent for the entire confrontation, rolled her eyes at her brother.

            “Now shoo you two. Despite what you may think, Roxas and I do have some homework to attend to.” Axel shuffled the two intruders out of the room, closing the door firmly behind them. The faint click of a lock turning over could be heard as Axel shut the door, but Roxas did not move from his place against the wall. He felt the familiar heat of Axel sidle up next to him on the ground.

            “Roxy? Do you want to talk about it?” Axel’s tone was filled with concern for the boy. Roxas didn’t immediately respond, as he let the realization sink in. His brother knew he was gay, and wasn’t fazed by it. Had Sora always known? The fact that he didn’t care relieved Roxas greatly. It was a constant fear he had since figuring out that he was into guys. If his brother, who was all he had left from his old life, couldn’t accept him, than he wouldn’t have been able to accept himself.  Then there was Axel. He had been enjoying kissing Axel. A lot. But where did that leave them? Thoughts raced through his mind at a million miles per second, but none of them had the answer he was truly searching for.

            “No,” Roxas finally replied, his voice barely over a whisper.

            “That’s okay. Want to work on our chemistry report then?”

            At that, Roxas lifted his head, peering out from behind his shield that was Axel’s sweater.

“Thank you,” he murmured. Axel just smiled, standing up to get the homework from their long forgotten backpacks. Roxas watched the redhead, a smile touching his lips as Axel grabbed their homework. If Axel was able to be so understanding and thoughtful, then there was hope for them. Not pushing Roxas to talk about everything that had just happened was something that Roxas greatly appreciated about the redhead. They’d been able to be honest with each other and accept the other, despite whatever mistakes and history each of them had. Roxas knew he had made the right choice by taking the leap of faith, even if he didn’t know where it left the two of them in terms of their relationship. 


	9. Wanting More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I write things and think "wow i'm trash". 
> 
> This is one of those times.

            Hours passed by without mention of the kiss. The chemistry project was finished in record time. Roxas and Axel agreed upon how they would present the project the following day and found themselves starving. They’d ordered and ate their pizza; one for each of them. Axel ordered a meat lovers and Roxas ordered a Hawaiian. Axel had wrinkled his nose at the blonde’s pizza choice, complaining that pineapple did not belong on pizza. Roxas proceeded to then shove the offending slice into Axel’s face, causing Axel to lean so far back in his chair that the chair fell over, Axel tumbling backwards with it. The boys had broken out into a fit of laughter. After the chair, they decided that it was safer to sit on the bed to play games. Roxas was currently kicking his ass at yet another racing game. Their shoulders brushed against each other. Even though hours had passed and they’d been distracting themselves with pizza and videogames, Axel’s mind was still set on the fact that Roxas had kissed him. He couldn’t hold the question that was burning inside him in any longer.

            “Roxas, why did you kiss me?” Axel said, eyes staying focused on the game they were playing. His thoughts were eating him alive and he desperately needed it to stop. He needed to know the blonde’s intentions, and if this kiss was something that was regretted or not. Axel wasn’t prepared to explain why he had so eagerly kissed back, as he was still unsure of where Roxas was on the feelings scale. Sure, Roxas had started the kissing, much to Axel’s delight, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t regretting it now. The silence was certainly concerning.

            “Um…” Roxas’ shoulders tensed at the question. Slowly, his finger moved to the pause button on his controller and pressed it. The game stopped, both sets of eyes peeled away from the screen. Roxas stared at the boy who could make fire dance. Why did he kiss him? It hadn’t just been because he was close enough to do it. He didn’t want to answer the question that Axel had asked. He didn’t know how to answer it. So he decided to take the coward’s way out. “Why do you think I kissed you?”

            “Well, I’m hoping it’s the same reason I kissed you back,” Axel winked at the boy. Even under the stress that was the conversation, Axel somehow managed to flirtatiously reply.

“You really like me, don’t you?” Roxas whispered, nervous but still thrilled to hear the answer. His body shivered involuntarily in anticipation.

            “Something like that,” Axel smiled. He wanted to lean over and steal a kiss from Roxas, but he didn’t dare. If anything else was going to happen between them, it was still up to Roxas to initiate.

            Roxas didn’t reply. Instead he just looked at the boy, curiously. He let his eyes wander all over Axel, taking in the small facial tattoos, the way his eyes almost glowed and the way his hair looked to be almost alive as the flames it’s owner had held only hours before. There was no denying it; it was exactly the same reason that Axel had given as to why he had kissed him.

            “Do you… Do you feel the same?” Axel asked hesitantly, any previous flirtatious confidence he held disappearing. The longer Roxas left the initial question unanswered, the more anxious Axel grew. He figured that asking was ultimately worth the risk however, provided it came with a reason as to why Roxas had kissed him.

            Roxas nervously chewed his lip. He may not have been able to deny it, but he also couldn’t admit it to the redhead. So opting out of speaking, Roxas nodded slowly. Axel inhaled sharply, a smile blooming across his face. He wanted to leap at the boy, to hold him tight, but he held back, allowing Roxas time to speak. But Roxas couldn’t speak. He just continued to look at Axel. He took a deep breath in, and thought _you can do this Roxas. Just do it. Rip off the band-aid._ And he leaned in.

Axel began to almost hyperventilate. His eyes flitted closed as Roxas’ lips got closer. Stomach in knots, Axel felt as if he was about to jump off of the highest diving board and take the plunge. Every part of him was screaming that he needed to wake up, that this was all a dream. Yet there they were, sitting on his bed, bodies nearly pressed against each other and with Roxas moving closer and closer.

            The kiss was soft and tentative. Lips searching for some form of resistance, for something that would stop them. But they found none. Instead, there was welcoming warmth. Axel’s heat burned its way through Roxas. Warmth spread all throughout his body, causing his lips to push Axel’s apart, craving more. Axel moaned low, obliging to Roxas’ will. The blonde wanted to make that sound come again. He felt brave, and with his new found bravery, he deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue against Axel’s. Roxas experimentally flicked his tongue, which proceeded to cause even lower, hungrier moans to escape the redheads lips and causing said lips to vibrate against his own. Crawling into his partner’s lap, Roxas wrapped his legs around him, planting himself firmly against Axel. His hands knotted in the redhead’s hair, pressing them impossibly close against each other.

Axel was reeling. The door was locked, and Roxas was in control. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he knew that he wanted more. Another moan escaped him as Roxas pulled gently on his hair. The pleasurable sensation sent shocks through both of them; Axel from his hair being pulled, and Roxas through the redhead’s response. Axel felt a small smirk against his lips. _Roxas is enjoying this._ The realization caused his heart to leap in his chest. He was overwhelmed with feelings. Feelings he never thought he’d be able to have for anyone, but here was this blonde, proving that his frozen heart could in fact feel.

Axel let himself fall backwards onto the bed, tugging Roxas down with him. Axel, now lying flat to bed with Roxas pressed on top of him securely, brought his lips hungrily to Roxas’. Neither could tell where one’s breath began and the other’s ended.

 An explicit moan escaped the blonde’s throat. He pushed himself up from Axel, giving them a moment to breathe. Green eyes clouded in lust looked up at him through thick lashes. Roxas nearly lost his breath then and there, but he still craved more. Straddling Axel, Roxas pressed himself tighter against the redhead below him. As the base of his lust pressed against Axel’s hardness, Roxas found himself feeling infinitely hotter than he ever had before. He was addicted to the body of warmth below him. Roxas wanted it closer.

 His hands detached from the tangle of red and moved down to the bottom hem of Axel’s shirt. His fingers ached against the hot skin, digging into the sharp hip bones beneath. His mouth nipped along Axel’s neck, sucking hungrily on the sensitive skin. The combination of the sensations that Roxas was giving him caused Axel to shiver and moan louder.

“Roxas…” Axel groaned. Roxas was a drug that he was more than willing to O.D. on, but he didn’t want Roxas to look back with any regrets.

“Roxas, wait,” he said with more conviction, trying his very best to get the blonde to pause for just a moment. As much as Axel wanted whatever was about to happen to continue on, Roxas’ well-being was far more important. He didn’t know what the other teen’s experience was when it came to sex and the facts surrounding it. Hell, he wasn’t sure if Roxas even understood how sex between two guys worked. As far as he knew, Roxas had only ever been with Namine. Axel knew they needed to pause for a moment, to re-evaluate what was going on between them. There was no rush for the two of them, unless of course, Roxas wanted it.

Roxas’ hungry fingers paused. His head came up from the spot against Axel’s neck, and he looked at the redhead. He didn’t know what the issue was, but he obliged Axel by stopping. All Roxas wanted was heat that came along with Axel. Axel and the heat was all that he needed, all that he craved. Roxas wanted more.

“Are you sure you want this?” Axel let his emotion show in his eyes, the look of what could only be described as love taking over. The sheer power of the _feelings_ he had for the blonde were intoxicating. He’d had many experiences with lust, but love was something strange and foreign. He cared deeply for Roxas. Deeper than anyone he’d ever known, besides maybe Demyx and his siblings. But that love was different than what he was feeling for Roxas. Axel was learning quickly that when love and lust were combined, the results were deadly and all consuming. His hands gently pushed the blonde hair out of Roxas’ face, revealing the blazing blue eyes that bore down into him, darkened by lust that matched his own.

Roxas smiled. He appreciated Axel’s concern, but he knew there was nothing he wanted more than to be with the bundle of heat below him. “Abso-fucking-lutely,” he breathed.

Axel grinned in response, and his grin quickly became predatorily. He grabbed the blonde’s hips and flipped them over, pinning him firmly to the bed. If Roxas was sure that this was what he wanted, Axel was prepared to give it to him. The suddenness of Axel’s actions took the other boy by surprise, Roxas’ eyes widened, but relaxed when the heat landed on his jugular. Teeth nipped gingerly, followed by licks from a persistent tongue. A loud groan escaped Roxas’ lips, creating a low chuckle against his throat. The vibrations coming from Axel only caused Roxas to squirm more, wanting further pressure and more heat.

“ _I want more,_ ” rasped Roxas, his voice barely audible. It had felt like he had the wind knocked out of him, but in the most joyous way imaginable. Axel continued nibbling against his ear, flicking his tongue against the outer shell. Roxas strained against the hands which still pinned his wrists, attempting to show with his body the desire his mouth failed to communicate.

“More _what?_ ” Axel whispered back, biting down softly on Roxas’ earlobe.

”Ughhh… More heat!” he moaned, straining against the bed and trying to push himself closer.

This caused another low chuckle from Axel as he sat up. Teasingly, Axel brought his fingers to the hem of his shirt. Keeping his eyes on Roxas’ face, slowly he pulled his shirt up and over his head. Roxas’ eyes drank in the sight of Axel. He was striking. Thin, but still firm and toned muscle, exactly how he remembered from the locker room so long ago. Axel then assisted Roxas’ in the removal of his own shirt. Axel’s mouth caught Roxas’ as his head slipped out from the fabric that had been deterring them from skin on skin contact. Axel let a purr escape as he looked down upon all that was the stunning Roxas below him. He couldn’t wait any longer. Axel dove back down to the blonde, their lips crashing into one another, causing more bursts of heat to erupt from between them.

For Roxas, the world became a blur of heat and tongues. He didn’t give a damn how loud they were, for Axel’s parents were still out and he frankly didn’t give a flying fuck if Sora and Kairi heard. Roxas dug his fingers into the warm back that hovered over top of him. Axel moaned as Roxas’ fingernails scratched down his back. He wanted the blonde to feel _good._ He wanted him to moan his name over and over. He simply wanted Roxas, and by the looks and sounds of it, Roxas wanted Axel, too.

The searching hands wandered down to the front of Axel’s jeans. They fidgeted with the button and Axel let out a relieved moan as they succeeded in the unbuttoning. His erection felt relieved to be out of the constricting grasp of the denim. Roxas wasn’t thinking anymore. He didn’t have the faintest clue as to what he was doing. He had zero experience in the realm of sex with another guy, but he knew that right now he wanted to experience all of it. With Axel. No holding back.

“Axel, I… I want you,” he said, voice barely breaking through between his panting breaths.

Axel straightened up enough so that he could take a good look into the blonde’s face. He needed to see his expression to make sure that the question matched the teen’s true feelings.

“You want to? You’re sure?” Axel’s eyes searched his counterpart’s.

 “Yes. Please. I’ve never done this before and… I want to. With you.” To his credit, Roxas maintained eye contact, refusing to look away. The blush mingled with the already flushed cheeks, gave Roxas an overall brilliant shade of red to his face. He’d never been so sure about anything in his life. Although technically not a virgin, he was one in this particular kind of sex. Roxas didn’t just want Axel to be his first, he needed him to be. He needed the warmth and he wanted the pleasure that Axel would bring him.

Axel shot up off the bed, letting his jeans fall to the floor. He paused momentarily, looking down at the wanton blonde whose breathing was heavy and eyes lidded, following him with a gaze filled with desire.

 Lust was an overwhelming sensation, and to see his own reflected in the blonde… Well it caused sensations that Axel was unfamiliar with but thoroughly enjoyed. With the redhead gone, Roxas shivered from the lack of heat. The chill that followed was both refreshing and disappointing. Roxas needed the brief breather to recollect his thoughts before what was about to happen. Any doubt he’d had was diminished. All that was left was the infernal need.

 Axel went to his desk and opened the top drawer. Roxas watched him curiously, still breathing heavily. He watched the redhead rummage around the drawer, letting a few curses drop from kiss-swollen lips. After what felt like an eternity, Axel let out a small cheer of success. As quickly as Axel had left, he came back to the bed with two things in his hands: lube and a condom.

“How do you want to do this?” Axel asked cautiously, cringing at his own word choice. He didn’t mean for it to sound as crude as it did, but there really was no other way for him to ask, especially knowing how inexperienced Roxas was. They weren’t about to just wing it. Delicate was the process of taking a man’s virginity, and the redhead was thankful that he had previous experience in such matters. Hurting Roxas was the last thing he wanted to do. Axel moved himself back onto the bed, straddling the blonde loosely.

“I don’t really know what the options are,” Roxas chuckled, still blushing. He turned his gaze away from Axel. He was embarrassed at his inexperience, and he didn’t want Axel to see it in his eyes. Roxas kept his head bowed, chin firmly against his chest. He didn’t quiver, but let his body shiver slightly under the green-eyed inspection he was receiving.

“Oh! We’ll there’s two options: top or bottom and well, I’m good with either so whatever you’re more comfortable with,” Axel said, smiling and softly stroking Roxas’ arm. He missed the blue eyes on him. Gently he coaxed Roxas’ chin upwards, so that their eyes met once more.

 Roxas hesitantly made eye contact with him, and saw how those green eyes sparkled with hungry lust. He swallowed, and nodded. At what he was nodding about, he wasn’t sure, but continued to do so anyways. Tearing his eyes away from Axel, Roxas sat up slightly, resting on his elbows. He looked over to the lube, examining the bottle.

“Would it hurt, erm, being on the bottom?”

“A little at first, which is why we use lots of that. It then feels really, really good,” Axel grinned at the blush he caused to bloom across Roxas’ cheeks. The boy was so easy to unhinge, and Axel had never seen something so stunning as the pink that liked to crawl over Roxas’ delicate skin.

“That sounds good. Is it… _warm?_ ” Roxas’ blush deepened further as he tried to duck his face away again from Axel’s searching eyes.

“It’ll be very, very warm,” Axel growled, sliding down Roxas. His mouth left a hot trail that ran from the blonde’s chin down his chest, gliding over the smooth skin. Roxas’ back arched in response, hums of approval vibrating through his body.

Roxas swallowed whatever lump in his throat had been building, deciding it was best to let Axel take control. Whatever doubts or concerns he had been having vanished as Axel’s lips continued their journey along his skin. Roxas felt his nerve endings light on fire with every touch, sending millions of sparks along his skin. Becoming lost in the sensation, Roxas moaned softly.

Axel grabbed Roxas’ wrists and firmly pinned them back over his head. Axel’s long fingers easily encased both of the blonde’s wrists into his right hand, while the other skillfully palmed Roxas’ erection that was growing ever more insistent under the tight denim.

Roxas felt the heat that was coming from Axel’s hand through his jeans, and gasped at the thought of what it could feel like with those jeans off. It wasn’t enough. He wanted more. Much more. Roxas bucked his hips upwards into Axel’s hand, begging for his touch. A hum of approval was the only vocal response he received in response from his desperate plight to get his pants off.

Axel slid his hand back to the top of Roxas’ pants; moving to finally give the relief that would come from the removal of Roxas’ jeans. While his hands caressed the blonde’s body, his mouth began to adventure on its own. Axel’s lips explored the crevices of his throat, tongue moving into the crook of his collar bone. Sounds began escaping Roxas’ mouth that he had never made in his life, but he wasn’t embarrassed. Axel had made him feel comfortable.

Axel purred in approval of Roxas’ vocal inhibitions. Skimming his mouth down Roxas’ chest faintly, Axel caused shivers to erupt through the smaller boy’s body.  His tongue flicked against one of Roxas’ nipples, eliciting yet another moan to burst from the boy’s lips. This one however, was so loud there was no way Sora and Kairi didn’t hear.

Roxas had never experienced such pleasure. His body was consumed by all that was Axel. Every movement, every touch, every kiss, brought about another round of moaning and Axel’s responding purrs of approval. All that was left was to feel each other’s skin rub against one another. Anticipation was creating a coil to form in Roxas, and with every point where the two connected, that coil wound tighter.

With the button free, Axel moved his hand back downwards, gliding effortlessly along Roxas’ skin. Roxas’ breathing was increasingly labored as Axel rubbed against him; the only barrier left being the thin layer of cotton from Roxas’ boxer-briefs. Axel released the hands that were pinned high against the bed, and slid down the length of Roxas’ body. He began to work on pulling the tight denim down from Roxas’ legs. Roxas lifted his hips, allowing his jeans to slide over and off his butt. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things that surrounded their situation, but he knew that he liked and certainly lusted after Axel. There was no confusion: he wanted Axel, and as the fire built between them, that want only grew larger. He scraped his fingers down Axel’s back, pressing himself as tight to the other as possible. This brought forth a loud and low moan from Axel, who approved of the rough contact.

Roxas felt compelled by that sound, wishing to hear it again and again. So he looped his fingers in the waistband of Axel’s underwear, and pulled it down. Axel gasped, quickening his hot kisses across Roxas’ body. Only Roxas underwear was left on for the moment. Roxas revealed in the heat that Axel’s bare skin brought him. Lust had now completely taken over the two of them, as hands grabbed at everything and anything that was in reach. Roxas grabbed Axel’s cock and began to stroke, basking in the growl that exploded near his hear.

“Roxy, you’re getting brave,” Axel hummed between moans. “But it’s my turn.”

 Axel pulled Roxas briefs off in one swift movement. Roxas was left gasping at the sudden cool air that touched him, but gasped just as loudly as the fever of Axel’s skin replaced it.

Just as quickly as the change in temperature, Axel’s hand found Roxas and began to mimic what Roxas was still doing with his own hand. Pumping each other, the two filled the room with lust filled moans and whimpers. Their breath came out in short pants, swirling the hot air between them. Their lips smashed together, teeth scarping and tongues whirling. A frenzy had broken out and it wouldn’t end until both were completely spent.

Axel was surprised at Roxas’ courage. He had expected Roxas to be submissive. Not to meet Axel’s lust so fully. Axel loved it. He liked submissive partners, as sex had always been about his pleasure.

Axel was quickly learning however that, ones who challenged him by telling him exactly what they wanted and taking whatever they please were a million times better. He let go of Roxas cock, instead grabbing the blonde’s wrists and forcing them to his sides. Both now being neglected, Axel began kissing, nipping and licking down Roxas’ naked bod, causing gasps and moans along the way. The redhead wanted Roxas to become needy. Ever so slowly, he began to trail his mouth down the full extent of Roxas’ body.

“Axel,” Roxas moaned breathlessly. Axel had reached Roxas’ cock, and with a deliberately teasing lick, slowly flicked his tongue against the throbbing flesh. Roxas mewled in response. He’d never felt so wanton in his life, but by God did Axel make him sexually hungry. Axel then brought his mouth over the head completely, and began to suck.

“URMF!” Roxas tried to push his hips upwards, but met Axel’s hands, pressing him firmly back into the bed. As much as Axel liked Roxas in control, he wanted to tease him a little more before he let the blonde come. Roxas squinted his eyes shut, seeing stars behind his eyelids with every suck that Axel gave.

 Roxas felt an unfamiliar pressure lower than anything he’d experienced so far. Axel stuck a finger up him slowly, moving and stretching the tightness that encased him. At some point he had squeezed a small amount of lube onto his fingers, completely unbeknownst to Roxas.

Roxas didn’t find it uncomfortable per say. Just foreign. Roxas groaned when Axel found what he was searching for. The sweet spot was hit over and over again, causing hips to buck wildly, begging for more. Axel then slipped another finger in, further stretching Roxas. His tongue continued to work the blonde, causing him to cry out.

“Axel! Oh god Axel! Yes!” The blonde loudly gasped, but quickly adjusted to the unfamiliar sensation. He felt needier than before as he found pleasure in the new pressure. Roxas moaned in approval, attempting to tell the redhead he was ready and wanted more. They were moving at a breakneck pace, but Roxas still found it not fast enough. Axel granted Roxas’ wishes, and pressed the third into him, causing sensations that previously had only been dreamed about to ripple through them.

 The world was spinning out of control around him, but Roxas didn’t give a damn. He wanted more. He wanted everything that Axel could possibly give him and he wanted it now. As quickly as it started, Axel stopped sucking, and removed his stretching fingers between Roxas’ legs. He looked down at him.

“You ready?” Axel asked, voice raspy and filled with desire.

“Yes,” Roxas replied, voice equally filled with lust. He wanted the heat. He wanted Axel to burn him from the inside out. Living in the sunshine all his life had never warmed him fully. Not like this. Axel was a flame that burned much hotter than the sun, and Roxas wanted to burn with him.

Axel grabbed the lube and the condom off of the sheets beside him, and quickly rolled the condom on. His fingers nimbly moved down himself, letting the muscle memory of countless repetitions to take over, as he no longer trusted his brain to capably do such a task. Axel had never found anything to be such a turn on as he found Roxas writhing in the pleasure that he gave him. Roxas felt the cool liquid against him, causing a chill that was in high contrast to the heat that was Axel. Meeting hungry green eyes that hovered over top of him, he let the pressure and fullness engulf him.

“Umf… You’re so _tight_ ,” Axel gasped, pressing slowly further into Roxas. Once fully sheathed he paused, allowing the blonde to adjust.

Roxas was feeling so much pressure, it was almost pain inducing. Axel paused, letting Roxas hover on the thin line that rested between pleasure and pain. Roxas let all of the lust and desire he was feeling pore through his eyes, begging Axel for more. He didn’t care if there was pain, he just wanted more.

Axel began to move, in and out, starting slow. His eyes never leaving Roxas’ face, watching intently for any sign of pain or discomfort. Suddenly, Roxas pressure and pain became pure, radiating pleasure. Axel had hit the sweet spot that only moments before his fingers had been stroking. Roxas felt his own cock twitch and he took it into his own hand, stroking it in time to Axel’s thrusts. There was so much pleasure and so much heat that Roxas found himself shaking in the throes of ecstasy.

“You feel so damn good, Roxy,” Axel exhaled between clenched teeth. He’d been with a lot of different guys, but none felt like Roxas. Nothing felt like Roxas. He was light: pure and brilliantly shining. Axel found himself captivated, watching Roxas roll through the spikes of heat and pleasure between the two of them.

 Previously, sex had been for the sole purpose of getting himself off. Axel had never cared if the other was feeling good or wanting more. Sex was for his gain only, and was a completely selfish act. Yet with Roxas, it was all about making sure the blonde felt good. Better than good. He wanted Roxas to feel exquisite.

He basked in the way that Roxas’ eyes squeezed shut and brow scrunched up in pleasure, creating small lines along his forehead. The small moans that sprouted from beneath Axel were more erotic than anything he’d ever done with any guy before. Combined, it sent Axel tumbling further into his state of arousal. If he could continue to make Roxas squirm against him and make that irresistibly primal sound, Axel would die happy.

“More please!” Roxas moaned in response. He could feel the blinding light begin to take hold of him, causing a sensation similar to something tightening to build in his stomach. The coil was wound around him. Squeezing him until he could no longer breathe. He was so close.

Roxas had never done anything like this before. Namine and he had sex when they were together, but it was filled with politeness and innocence. They’d always been so concerned with if they were _doing_ things right, they never cared about how they were _feeling_ while doing them _._ With Axel, it was hot, passionate and all consuming. Every one of his senses were overwhelmed with the distinct feeling of _Axel._ Roxas’ thoughts continued to spiral away, the only thing left on his mind being the redhead on top of him.

Axel chuckled at the “please” that had sprung from the rosy pink lips, but he obliged to Roxas’ demands; thrusting harder and faster; lips nipping the spot on the blonde’s neck that caused him to moan Axel’s name loudly.

The tightness in his abdomen was far too much for Roxas. He couldn’t hold on to reality much longer; the light claiming him as its own.

“Axel I’m going to-“ Roxas moaned breathlessly. Axel brought his teeth up to Roxas’ ear, nibbling and sucking.

All attempts at being soft and gentle completely abandoned as Roxas begged for more. If Roxas was going to come, Axel wanted to make sure it was the most blindingly blissful orgasm he had ever felt. He thrust harder, pushing deeper into the blonde and continued to grab, nip, rub and suck along his body, letting his hands and mouth have full control over Roxas’ body.

Roxas exploded, screaming Axel’s name as he rolled through his orgasm. His hips bucking up as he came through his hand, and well over his stomach and chest. All he could see was white as he let the heat burn its way through him. _Axel, Axel, Axel, Axel._ His mind chanted his lover’s name over and over again, repeating across his lips as he continued to moan the name that had been burned into his very soul. He pressed himself firmly into Axel, meeting him mid thrust and hoping that it was enough to send the redhead tumbling after him.

Hearing his name screamed through the blondes throes of ecstasy and pressing himself tightly against him was all Axel needed. He came almost immediately after, moaning his name into the blonde’s ear. His own orgasm was unlike any he had experienced before, sending him to the brink of the edge and pushing him over hard. Axel imagined that if anyone had seen them together, they would have thought that the pair looked like a fallen star- burning hot and brilliantly shining.

Axel slumped against Roxas. Roxas found comfort in running his hands through Axel’s hair. Looking down at the blonde, Axel would have sworn that he was emitting light from his skin. Roxas glowed underneath him. Axel decided it was a trick of the eye, and that the glow was only because of the happiness that was flowing effortlessly between the two.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting for both of them to come down from their pleasurable highs, Axel carefully pulled himself out of Roxas, causing the smaller boy to gasp at the lack of fullness.

No longer was Roxas glowing, so Axel let himself believe that it had been his imagination after all. They laid on their backs side by side, panting from the exertion. Axel lazily ran his fingers against Roxas’ hip, causing shivers to ripple through the younger’s body. Roxas wasn’t sure if heaven was real, but he couldn’t help to think that even if it was, this was infinitely better.

From downstairs, the sound of the door unlocking and opening could be heard.

“Axel! Kairi! We’re home!”


	10. Family Affair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayy a little family drama.
> 
> Okay well this may be the last chapter for a few weeks as i have run out of chapters that i had previously typed up. They're all now stuck in a journal and not on my computer, and on top of that University has decided it's the most wonderful time of the year and gave me way too many papers all due within the next month. For anyone going into uni/college, welcome to hell, kiddies. 
> 
> Hang in there lovely people who are reading this. More is coming, it might just be a tad delayed. I will do my best to get the next chapter up as soon as possible but... C'est la vie.
> 
> Read enjoy... etc etc.

 “Axel! Kairi! We’re home!” a distinctly motherly voice rang from downstairs. Eyes -widened in horror as realization took hold on the previously calm redhead.

“Shit!” Axel yelped, springing up from his previously relaxed position on the bed. “Roxas we have to get dressed, _now!_ ” He grabbed the Kleenex that was thankfully on his nightstand, thrusting it at the still bewildered blonde who hadn’t moved. A world in which everything had been still was suddenly in rapid motion, sending the redhead into a feverous state.

As Axel leapt off the bed, Roxas sat up, dazed by the flurry of action that had just happened. He took the Kleenex from Axel’s hand, proceeding to wipe up his cum that had splattered across his stomach and up across his chest. Roxas eyed Axel warily. The taller boy was in a panic, searching for clothes that had seemingly vanished into thin air. A million questions flitted through his mind, but instead of asking them, he continued to lay there completely motionless and in a state of shock.

“Are those your parents?” Roxas finally asked as underwear soared across the room and hit him square in the face. Startled by the assault of fabric, he slowly began to slide into them, tenderly adjusting himself.

“Yes, and I’ll get my ass beat if they find us like this so hurry the fuck up and get dressed.” The words were harsh, but they weren’t directed towards Roxas, just thrown out in a state of terror. Axel was openly gay around their friend group, which was why Roxas couldn’t believe that his parents wouldn’t know their own son’s sexuality, but he knew he was in no place to judge or be the one to out him.

“They don’t know you like guys?” Roxas felt his jaw drop slightly. He didn’t want to hurt Axel’s feelings by acting too put off by that revelation, but he felt the burning need to ask regardless.

“My mom does. My father…” Axel paused, halfway through pulling up his pants. He bit his lower lip nervously, seeming to way his words before he continued. “My father, well I’m pretty sure he’d throw me out of the house. So please help me get us dressed so I don’t completely end up homeless.” Axel’s tone wasn’t angry, at least not with Roxas. The subtle notes of distress showed how nervous he actually was.

Roxas silently did what he was asked. He had wanted to lay there with Axel, basking in the redhead’s warmth, but they couldn’t. He had only just realized the extent of his feelings towards the taller boy and there was no way in hell he was going to jeopardize the blooming relationship he cherished if he could prevent it. Axel tossed him his long-forgotten t-shirt, which Roxas quickly yanked down over his disheveled hair.

Axel was already dressed and was quickly turning on the gaming system to cover up what they had been doing. It was much easier to say that they were only hanging out like two innocent friends if there was a game playing. Roxas jammed his legs through the tight denim that had only a few minutes before hand been restricting him immensely. Roxas who was now fully dressed, watched Axel fondly.

 As sad as he was that their post-sex moment had been interrupted, he was in awe of the redhead. He loved how he had stopped to make sure that Roxas was sure of what he wanted and wasn’t just rushing into something to please Axel. He loved that he had been gentle; at least until Roxas had asked, no demanded, for more. Axel had given him everything. Jolts of happiness ran down Roxas’ spine, causing him to giggle. Axel turned around from where he was now playing some game that Roxas had never seen before, eyebrow crooked upwards, curiously.

“What’s up?” Axel asked.

“Just happy,” Roxas beamed at the redhead, moving to join him with the game by taking a seat in the vacant beanbag chairs that rested in front of the T.V. He didn’t take his eyes off his lover, hearing his heart pounding in his ears.

“Me too,” Axel whispered, leaning over to give Roxas an affectionate nuzzle before going back to the game.

Footsteps could be heard approaching down the hallway, coming closer and closer. They only briefly stopped at what the boys assumed to be Kairi’s room. Roxas took the controller that Axel wordlessly extended to him, and joined him in playing whatever the game was. Roxas found himself mashing buttons, not entirely sure what his objective was and not sure how to play. His character jumped and gave a roundhouse kick, seemingly succeeding to damage Axel’s character. Axel swore under his breath and began to furiously mash the buttons on his own controller. Roxas couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that even though the redhead had been consumed with tension, he had been caught up in their gaming competition quickly.

The footsteps continued moving towards the room at the end of the hall. Sometime in Axel’s panicked state, he had unlocked his bedroom door, so when it opened Axel looked up with no surprise on his face. The man who walked in was tall and bald His eyes were almost yellow. Roxas shivered involuntarily.

“Xehanort,” Axel said, indifferently. No longer did joy radiate through the redhead’s voice. Instead, it rang hollow, void of any emotion.

“Axel. Who is this?” The tall man who must have been Axel’s father said.

“Roxas. He’s my friend from school.” Axel said, not looking up from the game. The boy beside Roxas had become a model of indifference. It was as if any feelings he had were gone; all that was left was a devoid sense of hatred. The tension between the two was enough to cause Roxas to shrink in on himself. The blonde pushed himself further into the bean bag chair, wishing it would swallow him whole. He couldn’t help the fear that ran through him as the yellow eyes narrowed in on his face. _Shit this guy’s scary. Got to be brave for Axel though,_ Roxas thought. Pushing back the fear that had begun to take over his whole body, Roxas stood up and extended his hand to shake the man’s.

“Nice to meet you sir.” The man received Roxas’ hand and gave a painfully hard squeeze. Roxas bit back the yelp that tried to escape through his sealed lips.

“Good to meet you, Roxas. You should go home now, it’s getting late.” Polite, but intimidating. The man didn’t ask him to leave, as the words were more of a command than anything. There was no way that Roxas planned on getting Axel in any trouble, so he simply nodded.

“Come on, Rox. I’ll drive you.” Axel stood up from the beanbag he had been sitting on, staring blankly at the door. Roxas hurriedly grabbed his backpack and followed Axel past the imposing figure and into the hall. As he brushed past Xehanort, Roxas instinctively flinched away.

“Take Kairi’s friend too, Axel.” The man seemed to never ask for things, instead commanding them from everyone. Roxas couldn’t help but feel as if the evident bad blood between the father and son was rooted from Xehanort’s lack of parenting skills. No decent parent that Roxas had ever met acted so coldly towards their child. Was that why Axel didn’t use words like “father” or “dad”?

“Sure, Xehanort.” Axel led them out of the room and down the staircase, not bothering to say anything to Roxas. The mood shift was tangible. More than anything Roxas wanted to reach out and help the object of his affection. Everything Axel did, including his voice and movements, was sharp and brisk.

Sora was already by the door with his backpack on when they arrived in the foyer. He stared at Roxas, eyes wide in what was obvious terror. By the look alone, Roxas could tell that Axel’s father had also scared him. Besides the symmetrical fear that appeared in the nearly identical face, there was a look that meant to challenge Roxas. _Oh he definitely knows._ The look Sora was giving Roxas spoke worlds about the fact he had obviously heard the two older boys. Roxas however, didn’t dare say anything, at least, not while Axel and Kairi’s father loomed over them. Kairi gave Sora a hug goodbye and waved to Roxas. Without a word of goodbye to anyone, Axel opened the door and walked out. The brothers wordlessly followed behind him.

Axel led them to the car that was parked in the oversized driveway. If Roxas were in any other circumstance that hadn’t involved being terrified by Axel’s father and his younger brother standing beside him, Roxas would have jumped Axel the moment he saw his car. The bright red Acura NSX sat there, calling to the blonde.

Roxas had always had an overzealous appreciation for cars. Growing up on the island without many motorized vehicles around, Roxas had spent many days searching the internet for any news, pictures or videos on cars. He found them mesmerizing. Which was why seeing the car parked in front of the mansion, that apparently he would be getting a ride in, caused a hormonal reaction similar to that in which he had experienced earlier. The one that sat before him was fast, and sleek; the colour reflecting Axel’s vibrant hair.

“This. Is. Your. Car?” Roxas said, punctuating every word he uttered. He looked from the car to its matching driver. Even the typically over boisterous Sora was stunned into silence. The icy exterior that Axel had adopted since the arrival of Xehanort, thawed slightly at the blonde’s words. Roxas’ obvious excitement had caused the redhead to break into a grin, happy that his car pleased Roxas so much.

“Sure is, Roxy. It’s fast and the seats are very comfortable,” Axel purred. Roxas felt the blush burning into his skin and a cold shiver ran the length of his spine. The conflicting reactions dizzied the blonde, but he couldn’t help the smile that blossomed across his face from it. Axel took a step closer to Roxas, allowing his fingers to brush down Roxas’ backside.

“Way too much guys. It was bad enough hearing you two earlier,” Sora said, reminding them that they weren’t alone. Sora’s eyes pierced the two boys, arms crossed over his chest and one hip jutted slightly to the right. Only Sora could pull off that level of sass when addressing two boys who were a few years older than himself.

Roxas looked down with embarrassment. His lips pursed into a thin line, as he continued to stare numbly at the ground. Axel on the other hand, burst into a fit of laughter. Of course Sora had heard them. Axel had been making Roxas practically scream his name. The blonde walked around to the passenger side of the car and got in, doing his best to ignore the other two boys. Embarrassed or not, there was no denying that Axel hadn’t been lying. The seats were comfortable.

The other two climbed in after him. Sora sat in the backseat, shooting daggers with his eyes into the back of Axel’s head. Although he had been able to joke about it all, Sora still held a bitter resentment towards the redhead and the fact that he had made both his younger sister, and Sora listen to them. Roxas knew he would have to talk to Sora at some point about everything, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be while Axel drove them home, nor would it be in Axel’s presence, period.

“Where do you guys live?” Axel asked, trying to change the subject. There was no way of ignoring the daggers that were being thrown from the backseat, but a change of subject would hopefully be enough to at least postpone the inevitable conversation.

“Nowhere near here,” Roxas murmured. He didn’t want Axel to know they were living with their uncle who didn’t have a ton of money. They lived in a two bedroom apartment on the west end of Twilight Town, an area known for drug dealers and gang violence. After seeing Axel’s home, Roxas wasn’t sure what he would think of the disaster they called home.

“Sunset Drive,” Sora said, daring Axel to comment on the area.

Without a word, Axel reversed the car out of the driveway and took off in a general western direction. The radio was flicked on, playing the standard pop music that everyone found agreeable. Despite the music, the silence between the three boys was painful. Axel drummed his fingers to the beat of the song against the steering wheel while Roxas continued to stare out the window, pressed as far away from the redhead as the seat allowed.

“Is your dad always so intimidating?” Sora asked from the back seat, breaking the silence that had yet again built up.

“Xehanort hates me,” Axel shrugged, reverting back to his tone of indifference. Any of the humor and joy that had been established evaporated instantaneously.  “Kairi’s his favourite. So to answer your question, he’s only intimidating when I’m around.”

“Is it because you’re gay?” Sora bluntly asked.

“Sora!” Roxas shouted, effectively startling the other two passengers. It was the first thing to come out of his mouth since they had started driving.

“It’s okay, Roxy, it’s a fair question.” Axel continued on, directing his next words to Sora. “Xehanort doesn’t know I’m gay, and I’d prefer to keep it that way. I’d have been disowned in a heartbeat if he did. As for why he hates me, that stems from many years of despising someone simply for being who they are. He’s the same to my brother, Reno. Something to do with having ungrateful sons who are selfish assholes. I don’t really know anymore, as it’s just been an endless cycle of rage. You learn to live with it.”

“Sounds like that’s a lot of baggage. Also, if you can’t be openly gay, how do you plan on dating my brother?” Sora asked.

Roxas inhaled sharply. Sex didn’t mean dating; Roxas wasn’t that naïve. They hadn’t had the chance to have that conversation yet, as they’d been rushed to clean up, get dressed, and shoved out of the house. No relationship had been established between the two of them, and Roxas wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear Axel’s response to Sora’s question quite yet.

“Provided Roxy here wants to date me, then it’d be very sneakily.”

Sora scoffed, “Subtle doesn’t seem to be something you’re capable of. Kairi couldn’t even drown the two of you out with her stereo at full blast.”

“Sora! Shut up!” Roxas hissed, burying his eyes into the heels of his palms. As nice as the car was, he wished he was anywhere besides the front seat.

“What? I’m glad you finally got laid, bro.” The smugness oozed from Sora’s words. _I’m actually going to kill him_ , Roxas thought as his lips pursed into a grimace.

This caused Axel to burst into hysterical laughter. Roxas groaned in embarrassed agony, sinking lower into his seat in an attempt to hide from the world. The tension had been successfully broken between Sora and Axel. The rest of the drive consisted of playful quips from Sora that were often directed to Axel but were definitely to spite Roxas. Roxas however didn’t take the bait, instead remaining silent and pouting defiantly.

 As they began to pass rundown crack houses and barely standing shacks, Axel gave the blonde a side long glance. Roxas wouldn’t look at him and even the ever-joking Sora, fell silent. Neither of them wanted to comment on the conditions they lived in, for it wasn’t anything pleasant. Axel’s car was a sight for prying eyes as it slowly crawled through the slums of Twilight Town. The boys had been surprised the tram even traveled this far into the slums, but saw no need to question it.

“Here,” Sora whispered, staring at the horrific apartment building. The walls had obvious cracks and many windows in various apartments were boarded up or broken.

“Thanks for the ride Axel. I’ll meet you inside Rox,” Sora said, and bounded out of the car and into the disaster of an apartment.

Roxas bit his lip nervously. He wanted to run as far away as he could. He wanted to say something to the redhead he had so blatantly ignored. He wanted to kiss him goodnight. But instead, he did nothing, choosing to stare at his hands as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

“Roxy, are you mad at me?” the soft voice from the driver’s seat asked.

“What? No!” Roxas practically yelled.

“Then how come you’ve been ignoring me?” The emerald green eyes bore into Roxas, begging for an answer

Roxas took a deep breath and said the words he’d been mulling over the whole car ride. “I don’t know what we are and I’m scared because I really like you but you can’t be open about yourself and I think your dad would kill me-“

Roxas was cut off mid-ramble. Axel’s lips pressed firmly into his, pushing them open as his long fingers looped themselves into the spikey blonde hair he adored. Axel broke the kiss, but continued to hold Roxas close. With their faces so close, Roxas saw the flecks of varying shades of green that made up Axel’s eyes. Tentatively, Roxas brought his hand up to Axel’s face and ran his thumb against the startling tattoos, feeling the slight ridge of the raised skin. Both of them let out a soft sigh, content with the much more comfortable silence.

“Oh Roxy… I’ll be whatever you want me to be. Friend, lover, _boyfriend_. Anything. And don’t worry about Xehanort. I’ll figure that out.” Axel said as leaned into Roxas’ hand, closing his eyes and humming appreciatively.

“I want you, Axel.” Roxas said with as much confidence as he could muster.

“Then I’m all yours,” Axel purred, and they smashed their lips together again. Roxas couldn’t help the groan that escaped as Axel shoved his tongue further into the blonde’s mouth. Breaking apart briefly, Axel awkwardly climbed over the centre console, moving until he was straddling Roxas in the passenger seat. Axel moaned as he pressed against Roxas’ lap. His hips rocked against the blonde’s, bringing about more moans from the both of them. Axel had to hunch over quite a bit to fit, but he wasn’t about to complain. Not when the source of his affection was so close to him. Roxas found himself leaning up against the door of the car, his breathing becoming more and more ragged as their kissing progressed.

“So warm…” Roxas growled into Axel’s ear as Axel began to nip along the blonde’s jaw line. Hands were groping along their bodies and the evident heat was building to a point that a wild fire spontaneously bursting out of the two of them would have come as no surprise. They were becoming lost in one another, something that they found increasingly easy to do.

Roxas yelped as the door he was leaning against fell away from behind him. He stared into the night sky, bewildered at how he was now laying on the dirt, when only seconds before he had been enraptured with his Axel. _My Axel._

A familiar tuft of blonde spikes filled his vision as his uncle leaned over him, effectively banishing all thoughts of the redhead from Roxas’ mind.

“Ugh… hi Cloud.” Roxas felt his cheeks burn a bright red as he looked up into the face of his Uncle. A face that was contorted into a deep frown. Roxas had never stood up as quickly as he did upon the realization that this wasn’t a dream, and that Cloud was towering above him.

Cloud wasn’t the same kind of imposing figure that Xehanort was. Where Xehanort was angry and hateful, Cloud was distant and cold. For as long as they had lived with him, Roxas had never seen his uncle truly angry but knew that on that day should it arise, someone would get hurt, and with the way Cloud was glaring at Axel, Roxas had the feeling that the day was possibly here. Cloud fixed his icy glare upon the redhead, who in turn stepped out of the vehicle, hand out to shake.

“Sora said your boyfriend was dropping you off,” Cloud said, voice nearly a growl and ignoring the hand extended towards him.

“Cloud, this is Axel. I’ve told you about him,” Roxas tried to reason, righting himself while dusting off his pants.

“You told me about Axel your _friend._ Not Axel your _boyfriend._ ”

“Well sir, it’s relatively new, and I would hope you’d give us your blessing,” Axel said, offering a warm smile towards the older man. He didn’t want Xehanort to know, but if Cloud already knew they were romantically involved with one another, he wanted Roxas’ uncle’s full acceptance. Cloud continued to eye him skeptically.

“Go home, Axel. Roxas will see you at school tomorrow and will tell you my decision then,” Cloud replied coolly, keeping eye contact the entire time. Roxas buried his face in his hands, horrified at not only Cloud’s words, but the implication that there was going to be a talk between the two blondes. A talk that Roxas would rather avoid at all costs.

“Ooo-kay. Bye Roxy! See ya tomorrow!” Axel winked at Roxas as he scrambled to get back into his car, the engine quickly roaring to life.

“Bye Ax!” Roxas called as Axel sped off. The small smile that had graced his face while he was saying his goodbyes faded as he looked back at Cloud. His uncle looked disapprovingly at him, with a glint in his eye that Roxas thought was almost sadness.

“Come on Roxas. We’ll talk inside.” With that, Cloud began walking to the building that Roxas now called home.

As he walked behind Cloud, Roxas studied him. His uncle wasn’t really much older than himself, as the age gap between his own father and Cloud had been quite drastic. For a 25 year old, Cloud was mature. Most were goofing off at local bars or traveling, but instead Cloud was caring for two teenage boys. Roxas knew that he and Sora were the last things Cloud had wanted in his life, but here they were, invading the tiny apartment.

Cloud was a paramedic and often worked long hours. Those hours had only increased with the acquisition of looking after the two boys as he needed the extra money. He loved helping people, but he’d never expected for two high school boys to become part of his life while he was still in his twenty’s. Yet he hadn’t second guessed himself the moment he found out his brother and sister-in-law had died in a horrific car crash. Cloud volunteered to take them in, but he hadn’t a clue how much work it would be.

That was why that when Sora had mentioned the word “boyfriend”, Cloud had lost his mind. He didn’t know how to handle a boyfriend. Hell, he could barely hand his own fucked-up love life so how was he supposed to deal with a teenage boy’s? It wasn’t that long ago that he was in Roxas’ position, but just then it felt like an eternity.

 Cloud wanted to sit and stew about all of this, but he didn’t have time to. He had to come up with what he was going to say to Roxas. He knew the Sinclair family from the hospital as Axel’s parents were large benefactors. Cloud had heard stories about the boy that Roxas was clearly infatuated with. The boy, Axel, had set fire to the school, which had caused someone to die. Despite it being an accident, the entire incident caused Cloud to worry. Danger seemed to follow the Sinclair’s, and there was no way he was going to let Roxas anywhere near it. Cloud wanted stability for the boys, and Axel Sinclair and his family were by no means stable.

 

The two blondes sat across from one another, sipping on the coffees that Cloud had brewed them.

“Are you mad I have a boyfriend?” Roxas asked, staring intently into almost matching blue eyes.

“Yes, you should have told me,” Cloud said sternly, lips brushing the mug he clutched in a white-knuckle grip.

“Are you mad he’s a boy?” Roxas whispered, eyes glued to the floor. He hated asking these questions, but he needed to know the answer. Roxas could handle Cloud being warry of him in a relationship. He couldn’t however, handle being shamed for loving a guy. Cloud choked, spitting out his coffee. Roxas’ eyes snapped up the older blonde, startled by the outburst.

“What? No!” Cloud erupted into a fit of laughter. He couldn’t believe the ridiculousness of Roxas’ question.

“Why are you laughing?!” Roxas cheeks burned with the familiar reddening heat. He got flustered so easily, especially when the subject involved his love life.

“You think I’m mad at you ‘cause you like guys? Roxas, you do know I’m bi right?” Cloud continued laughing as Roxas’ mouth practically detached from his jaw.

“Bi?” Roxas wanted to crawl into his bed and hide but instead he was frozen at the table where Cloud continued to laugh at him.

“Yes Roxas, I’m bi, and I’m mad because some guy was going to have sex with you in his car right outside our apartment. I’m even madder because that guy was Axel Sinclair.”

“You don’t even know him!” Roxas wasn’t shocked anymore, as Cloud’s words had caused him to see red. How dare Cloud judge Axel before melting him properly?

“I know what he’s capable of, Roxas. And you don’t need someone who’s so…. Troubled.” Cloud finally tore his gaze away from his nephew, looking down into the mug of coffee that had cooled down to being a bitter, watery mess. He frowned, displeased with both his drink and the conversation at hand.

“Cloud, please. Give me at least one opportunity to change your mind. Let him come over for dinner tomorrow. Just please give him a chance,” Roxas pleaded. He hated how desperate he sounded, but the idea of losing Axel was far too painful.

“Fine. Dinner tomorrow. But Roxas?” Cloud ran his hand through his hair in aggravation.

“Yes?”

“Be careful. I can’t let anything happen to you…” Cloud trailed off, finally allowing some of his inner emotions to come through. Roxas looked at his uncle with curiosity. He’d never seen him so vulnerable before, and at this moment, it was clear how stressed Cloud was.

“I will Cloud I promise. I know you and Sora can’t lose anyone else.” Roxas tentatively put a hand on Cloud’s shoulder, trying to comfort the man who bore so much resemblance to him, both inside and out. Cloud sighed and told Roxas to head off to bed. Thus, a very long and emotionally draining day for Roxas ended.


	11. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for a chapter being ready to update! Again the next update will be a little slower because of end of year papers/exams, but they are coming! Thank you to everyone for the support. Y'all are the reason I'm still writing.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, side note/fun fact, I booked my first tattoo appointment. Getting Oathkeeper on my back cause nerd level 100

Axel groaned rolling over in his bed, staring up at the white ceiling above him. _I didn’t drink last night, so why do I feel so wiped?_ Green eyes flashed open, memories hitting him like a freight train. Xehanort had yelled at him long into the night about having someone over after he’d gotten home from driving Sora and Roxas halfway across the city…

 Roxas. Beautiful, blonde Roxas on top of him, with soft pink lips hungrily pressing against his own. Roxas _underneath_ him, mewling and gasping in pleasure. Long, pale fingers clenched the sheets beneath him as the memories continued to flood him. A shiver rippled down Axel’s body as he imagined the sensation of sliding into Roxas over and over again. Axel felt a tent in his pants begin to form. He hesitantly slipped one hand down the front of his pants, stroking himself. 

            “Roxas…” Axel moaned, head tilting upwards as his back arched off the bed, thrusting up into his fisted hand. It didn’t remotely compare to the feeling of actually being inside the blonde, but with the mental visuals that were vibrating behind closed eyelids, Axel could almost believe Roxas was there with him. With a final few strokes he tumbled over the edge, biting his lip and groaning the absent blonde’s name as he spilled over his hand. His breath became laboured as he opened his eyes, blinking reality into focus.

            Axel grabbed the box of Kleenex that he had left beside his bed after yesterday’s activities, wiping up the remnants of his morning wakeup call. A soft smile played across his lips. He was going to see Roxas in a couple of hours. Roxas his boyfriend. That thought alone propelled Axel out of his bed, sprinting down the hall and to the bathroom before Kairi could get in and monopolize it.

            “Axel! I need to get ready!” Kairi screamed, pounding on the door. Ignoring her completely, Axel turned on the hot water tap, whistling joyously as he stripped down and stepped in. Yesterday had been the start of something wondrous, he was sure. Roxas was the brightness his life had so desperately needed, the warmth that could only come with the sun. If someone had told him at the beginning of the school year that he’d have fallen so hard for someone and have them return his feelings, he would have told them they were crazy. Axel didn’t do feelings, but here was Roxas, blazing his way deep into his heart.

            As Axel toweled himself off, he made a vow to himself and more importantly, to Roxas. _I’m going to work every single day to make you as happy as you’ve made me. No matter what happens, you will be happy._ Axel knew that there was going to be trouble ahead, but he wasn’t going to give up. Not on their relationship and definitely not on Roxas. With a life so shrouded in darkness, it was easy to cling onto the one glowing light.

Giving himself a quick once over in the mirror, Axel gave a sharp nod of approval to his appearance and began to head back to his bedroom, calling over his shoulder to Kairi that the bathroom was now free to use. Being the first official day of their relationship, Axel wanted to make sure he looked good. So standing in front of his closet, he began to yank out one article of clothing after the other. A mountain of fabric began to grow on his floor, everything from t-shirts to sweatpants to jeans to sweaters accumulating in copious amounts.

“There you are!” Axel roared triumphantly, finding his favourite pair of jeans. They were dark, and tight in all the right places, framing his ass in a way he knew was irresistible. Next he pulled out a simple white t-shirt, one that cost far too much for something so plain. He slipped it down over his mess of red spikes, happy with the progress he was making so far. Finally he pulled out his favourite flannel, a large checkered pattern in red and blue. Just before he went to yell at Kairi and head off to school, Axel grabbed his black leather jacket and slipped on his red high-tops. Looking himself over in the mirror, Axel couldn’t help but smirk.

“Kairi you ready to go?” Axel called, walking down the hallway towards the stairs.

“Yah I’m coming! Are you driving today?” She called back. Axel leaned against the banister by the stairwell, waiting patiently for his sister.

“Going to have to with how long you’re taking,” Axel teased, running a hand idly through his hair.

“Oh shut up. You’re the one who took ten million years in the bath- Whoa. You look good today. What’s the occasion?” Kairi looked her older brother in awe. She hadn’t seen Axel actually put an effort into his appearance for school in a long time.

“I’ll tell you in the car, yeah?” Axel said from halfway down the stairs, not waiting for Kairi to catch up. He grabbed his backpack and car keys, heading out the door and towards the car where not twelve hours before he’d been making out with Roxas. Even with the interruption of one scary uncle, Axel couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face as he remembered how hot it’d been with Roxas pressing so deliciously close underneath him.

“Okay spill. This all for Roxas?” Kairi demanded, buckling her seat belt and wiggling her eyebrows at Axel. The car revved to life, roaring out of the driveway.

“Maybe. You know we are dating now,” Axel replied, keeping his eyes fixated on the road.

“Really?! Axel I’m so happy for you. I thought maybe you were going to fuck it up.”

“Damn Kairi… Way to make your brother feel like a piece of shit,” Axel huffed, flicking on his blinker and turning onto the school’s street. “Also, you better not use that language at home. Xehanort will kill you.”

“You know it’s true. Since when do you do feelings? And we all know I’m his favourite and it’s just you and Reno he hates.” Kairi flipped her hair back over her shoulder, eyeing Axel carefully.

Axel only hummed in agreement. As much as he hated to admit it, Kairi was right about everything. He did usually fuck things up with guys since he never wanted to actually be attached to them. Roxas had broken past his barrier and he was determined to do everything right by him. Axel was going to keep Roxas in his life no matter what. Xehanort however definitely loved Kairi, and definitely hated Axel and Reno.

The school rolled into view and Axel pulled over, a block away from the actual building. Kairi rolled her eyes and without a word unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out, walking the remaining distance to where her friends were seated. She understood Axel’s hesitation about people knowing she was his sister, but Kairi didn’t find it that bothersome. However she obliged Axel’s wishes and kept their relationship a secret. Axel threw the car back into gear and drove to the school parking lot, finding a spot easily as it was still early in the morning. It wasn’t until he had climbed out of his car that he saw the object of his affection.

“Roxy!” Axel shouted from the school parking lot. He had seen his favourite blonde leaning up against the building, looking off into the distance.

Roxas’ head shot up, meeting the redhead’s gaze. Axel beamed at him, as the blonde began to make his way over. He had been sure his boyfriend’s uncle was going to punch him the night before, which was why he had so hurriedly gotten the hell out of there. As Roxas got closer, Axel became more and more nervous. Should he greet him with a kiss or did Roxas not want the school to know about them? Axel had long ago stopped giving a fuck if people from school knew he was gay or not. They all had formed opinions on him anyways, so he thought he may as well give them something accurate to gossip about.

Axel didn’t need to worry about how to greet Roxas for long however, as Roxas grabbed a fistful of Axel’s shirt and dragged the taller down to him, trapping his lips with his own. Axel swiftly wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, gladly complying with Roxas’ desires. Roxas moved his hands up around Axel’s neck, tangling the bright-red hair through his fingers. The kiss began to grow heated between the two of them, hands gripping hard and mouths more firmly pressing against each other. Yesterday’s adventures were prominent in both their minds. It was only when the sound of snickering could be heard from across the parking lot that the two broke apart.

“Get a room you fucking fags!” shouted the school bully, Seifer. He was leaning against his truck, his gang of friends standing beside him. Axel and Seifer had never gotten along. Technically, he was a year younger than the redhead, but Axel’s age seniority didn’t matter to Seifer. He took every opportunity he had throughout high school to torment Axel. So the slurs that were whipped across the parking lot were not surprising, but this time Axel wasn’t the only one they were being directed to. Roxas was there with him. This was the final straw.

Axel’s head shot up at the homophobic slur, green eyes shooting daggers at the other boy. A growl ripped from his throat followed by a string of angry curse words and threats directed at Seifer. Axel pushed Roxas behind him, stalking heatedly towards the object of his ire. The anger that rippled through him emanated outwards, making the redhead an imposing figure as he crossed the parking lot.

Roxas couldn’t help but smirk at how Seifer flinched under Axel’s glare and verbal assault. A large crowd had grown around them, including Axel’s group of friends, as well as Sora and his friends. Roxas spotted Kairi standing a short distance away from himself. She was frowning at her older brother but Sora had reached out and grabbed her hand, seemingly comforting the younger redhead.

“Whatcha going to do Axel? Going to set me on _fire?”_ Seifer hissed, glaring at the boy who was now right in front of him.

“Oh that would be too easy,” Axel growled back. The two boys stood toe to toe, the hatred between the two of them tangible to the crowd.

“So you’re going to what… Kiss me?” Seifer spat at him.

Axel didn’t think. The world was red around him, and then his fist launched out. Axel landed the punch squarely to Seifer’s nose. He wasn’t usually one to just hit someone, but there was something that distinctly about Seifer that reminded him of Xehanort. There was blood coming from Seifer’s nose, creating a dripping trail over his lips. Axel raised his fist, prepared to throw another punch, but someone had grabbed his arm. Initially Axel thought that a teacher was the one who had stopped him, but there were no teachers around. Instead it was Sora, staring up at him with wide, blue eyes.

“Axel, stop. You’re better than this. You’re better than _him_.” Sora’s words broke through the wall of bright red hatred that had fogged his vision. He slowly brought his arm down, and stepped away from the bloody mess in front of him. Axel turned around and began to walk away with Sora, when Seifer spat out words that would echo in Axel’s head over and over again.

“Run away while you can, you little bitch. You’re going to live to regret the day you fucked with me,” and then the blonde spat at him. Literal spit hit Axel’s back. If it wasn’t for Sora shoving Axel to keep moving further away from the moron, Seifer would have been set ablaze. Tension rippled through Axel’s back and he grimaced.

            It was the school bell ringing that finally broke up the crowd and forced everyone to head inside. Roxas didn’t say anything as the two of them headed to chemistry class side by side. Roxas wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn’t find the right words. Couldn’t find any words for that matter.

            “Roxy?” Axel murmured as they stood outside of the classroom. They had stopped just outside their classroom. Roxas turned to Axel, hearing the desperation in his voice.

            “Please don’t hate me, Rox.” The words were so quiet Roxas wasn’t sure he’d heard them right, but looking into Axel’s eyes, he saw that they were brimming with tears. Tears he was clearly refusing to let fall.

            “Axel… I don’t hate you. Honestly if you hadn’t hit him I probably would have,” Roxas had felt the same burning anger towards the homophobe as Axel had. The only difference was that Axel was faster to react than he was.

            “Really Rox?” Axel looked at him apprehensively. He didn’t need Roxas saying things he didn’t mean just to make him feel less crazy. His blood was still itching from the dire need to let the fire roar out from him.

            “I promise. He’s clearly a moron who’s fucking with the wrong relationship,” Roxas said as he smiled up into eyes that showed so much adoration, that Roxas felt he might get lost in them forever.

            “Oh thank god. You mean way too much for me to lose you Roxy.” Axel began to feel his blood cool; Roxas’ words of reassurance soothing the fire within.

            “Punching a guy isn’t going to lose me. But let’s be thankful Cloud wasn’t there to see it.” Roxas took Axel’s hand in his own, leading the redhead into the classroom.

            “He doesn’t like me much does he?” The boys wandered to their seats at the back of their class, their conversation significantly lightening, with the fight already behind them.

            “He’s nervous about you dating me. I’m all Sora and him have left and well, Cloud’s pretty stand-offish anyways.” Roxas grimaced, remembering the conversation he’d briefly had with his uncle the night before.

            “Okay, if you say so,” Axel shrugged, sinking down into this seat, his body releasing the remaining pent up tension from the morning’s scuffle. The boy’s lapsed into silence, watching Professor Vexen prepare the front of the room for the class presentations.

            “Also, you’re invited over for dinner tonight. Cloud’s going to decide if I can date you then,” Roxas rambled off, breaking their silence only moments before the class was going to begin.

            “WHAT!?” Axel shot up out of his seat, a look of horror spreading across his face.

            “Mr. Sinclair! Take your seat now,” Professor Vexen shouted across the room, and class began.

 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

            Due to Axel’s outburst, Roxas and he were called upon first to do their presentation. _Thank god Roxas has his shit together today ‘cause I certainly don’t,_ Axel thought as they made their way back to their seats. His mind raced with a million thoughts about the dinner that ultimately would determine his relationship status. He began to zone out, not paying any mind to the other presentations. It wasn’t until he felt a nudge to his right shoulder that he stirred. Somewhere between the fourth and fifth presentation, Demyx slid him a note.

 

            Axel,

Dude what’s wrong? You look super freaked out. Anything to do with the fight   earlier?

                             Dem

 

Axel read and reread the note. Demyx was insane 90% of the time, but the other 10% was filled with clear insight into his best friend’s emotions. Axel furiously wrote back.

 

            Dem,

Nothing to do with fight. Seifer’s a dick. Roxas and I are officially together. He has a crazy uncle who hates me. Invited over for dinner tonight.

                        RIP Axel

 

He heard the low chuckles beside him as Demyx read his note and then the tell-tale sound of a pencil scratching across the paper and the final note was passed.

 

            Ax,

                   Meet me at lunch. No Roxas. We’ll figure this out then.

                                      BFF, Dem

 

Axel nodded then wrote a quick note to Roxas, subtly sliding it across their shared desk.

           

Roxy

I’ll come to dinner. Need to see Demyx at lunch though. Will find you after.

                        Yours, Ax <3

 

He saw the brief smile flutter across Roxas’ features and Axel’s heart skipped a beat. He’d do anything, including going to a family dinner with the most intimidating 25 year old Axel had ever met. Roxas nodded ever so slightly, signaling that he agreed to Axel’s plans. The class wrapped up, and Roxas gave Axel a quick peck on the lips before he ran off to calculus class. Axel’s plastered on grin faded away as his blonde disappeared from sight. His mind fell into a spiral of “how the fuck do I get through this dinner tonight”, and that’s where it stayed all through his next class and until lunch.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Demyx sat waiting for Axel at the usual trees outback. He’d told the rest of the group that he needed some time with Axel to help him figure some stuff out. Most of the group didn’t seem remotely fazed by this, but Larxene had to make yet another snide comment about Demyx stealing Axel from Roxas, which brought about a boisterous round of “fuck off Larxene.” Demyx was beginning to worry where Axel was until he saw the familiar figure slowly making his way across the yard.

“You’re smoking again?” Demyx asked, watching Axel pull out a cigarette and light it with nothing but his hand. Axel’s power amazed Demyx to no end, but no longer did he startle at the ease that Axel used of it.

“Don’t push me, Dem.” Axel whispered between blowing a long cloud of smoke.

“Ax, I get that this Cloud thing has got you all freaked out, but you have to calm down. Roxas is obviously into you, like, we all saw that kiss this morning. So I don’t think you have to worry about his uncle,” Demyx said, trying his best to comfort his friend.

“It’s not about whether Roxas is into me or not, I know he is. It’s more about the fact that Cloud’s worried for Roxas’ safety and I think… I think he’s right.” Axel’s head drooped, chin pressing down into his chest. He didn’t want to admit that he could hurt Roxas, but in his heart he knew it to be true.

“You aren’t going to hurt Roxas. Just look at Seifer earlier. You could have lit his ignorant ass on fire but instead you just punched him. I’d say that’s an improvement,” Demyx chuckled, punching Axel lightly in the shoulder.

“Not sure if punching someone’s an improvement, Dem,” Axel said, shaking his head.

“From burning the shit out of someone? Duh, it definitely is!”

“Fine. I’m not going to argue with you. You’re moronic,” Axel said, his smirk proving that he was only joking.

 “Hey! Don’t call your best friend moronic,” Demyx said, practically bouncing around him.  They laughed, Axel beginning to relax in the ease of his best friend’s presence.

“You really think everything will go alright tonight?” Axel finally asked, looking up at the dirty blonde who was now bouncing from foot to foot.

“Course it will. You guys are meant to beeeeeee…” Demyx reached his hand upwards and ruffled the red spikes, chiming in a singsong voice.

“God damn it, Dem. Don’t fuck with my hair,” but despite his words, Axel grinned. He loved Demyx, because despite his hyper-spastic personality, he could always bring a smile to Axel’s face.

“Come on, Axy-waxy. Time to go find your true love.” Demyx grabbed Axel’s free hand, dragging him along after him.

“Don’t ever call me that. Especially around Larxene or Xion. I’ll never hear the end of it,” but once again, Axel smiled. With his friend’s encouragement, he felt more confident that the dinner wouldn’t be a total disaster.

 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

            At first, Roxas wasn’t sure what he was going to do for lunch since Axel and Demyx were otherwise preoccupied. He wasn’t really a fan of Larxene and Saix, and Zexion had said he was studying in the library that lunch hour. He would have spent time with Xion, but she had been sick for the past few days and hadn’t come to school, thus leaving Roxas alone and with no one to spend time with. Then the realization struck him. Sora didn’t know about the guest they were going to be having at dinner tonight. So there they were, having lunch together, something which they hadn’t done in a long while.

            “Whoa, so you got Cloud to agree to a dinner? I’m impressed, Rox. You must really be into this guy if you’re willing to go through that kind of hell,” Sora said, mouth hanging open in shock.

            “I think I do. I haven’t been this happy in a really long time. Not even Namine made me this happy.” Roxas looked down at his sandwhich, taking a hefty bite. They lapsed into silence, chewing deeply in thought and watching the other students go about the school grounds.

Sora saw Axel making his way across the yard before Roxas did. He liked Axel, hell if he didn’t he wouldn’t have stopped him from obliterating Seifer that morning. What he liked most was the fact that Axel seemed to truly care about Roxas. He saw it in the way the redhead looked at his brother, full of adoration and love. The fight earlier had just been further proof of the lengths Axel was willing to go to protect Roxas, but Sora also knew that if the fight had progressed, something terrible would have happened. Sora was younger than the new couple by a few years, but he had a much better grip on conscience and regret than either his brother or his new boyfriend did. Axel would have hated himself if the fight had ended up much worse. Maybe not right away, but in time.

“Hey Roxas, hey Sora!” Demyx yelled from behind Axel as they neared the almost identical brothers. He bounced his way over to Sora and lightly slapped his arm. “You’re it!” and with that, Demyx took off. After a brief pause of confuseion, Sora lop-sidedly grinned and set chase to the older teen.

Axel and Roxas laughed as they watched the two chase each other around the school grounds. Roxas looked over at his boyfriend, the smile still plastered onto his face. Axel returned the smile and settled down beside the blonde on the grass, stretching out his long legs in front of them.

“Well Roxy, looks like we’ve got a family dinner tonight,” Axel said smiling softly.

“Sora suggested bringing Kairi along. That way it might ease the focus off of you.” Roxas could see Axel’s nerves about the ordeal and Sora’s suggestion was a good one. Plus the distraction of one more person might be just enough to keep Cloud from completely scrutinizing Axel over the meatloaf.

“That’s a good idea. Did Sora already talk to her?”

“Yeah, you guys are coming over for 6:00ish tonight, if that’s okay?” Roxas leaned against Axel’s shoulder enjoying the warmth of the redhead radiated. It was almost December break and the temperature had dropped significantly. Still no snow and still warm enough to not need a parka, but cold enough that the extra heat that Axel provided was gratifying.

“Sounds perfect,” and Axel leaned down and kissed him. This kiss was soft and slow. Relishing the feeling of the warmth of Axel’s lips against his own, Roxas sighed deeply. As they broke apart, Roxas smiled. He didn’t remember a time that he smile as much as he was now.

“It won’t be that bad tonight. Cloud’s intimidating but he’s a good guy. He just needs to get to know you,” Roxas said, trying to reassure not just Axel, but also himself.

“You sure? I think he actually wants to kill me. God forbid he finds out I took your virginity.” Axel shook his head, an involuntary shiver running down his spine at the thought of Cloud finding out, or worse, _walking in on them_.

“Hey! You didn’t take my virginity,” Roxas protested, slightly too loudly.

“Roxy, I may not have taken your hetero virginity, but I sure took your homo one,” Axel said, smirking at the blushing blonde.

Roxas couldn’t find the words he was desperately searching for. He was flustered, that was for sure, but there was another emotion hiding just underneath the surface and it wasn’t shame. Roxas could feel his blood begin to pump faster and lower than it should have been while he was at school. Just thinking about what they had done yesterday was enough to get him turning all kinds of shades of red.

Axel saw Roxas’ discomfort but he also picked up on the other feelings Roxas was having. The blonde was turned on, whether he wanted to be or not, he definitely was regardless. Axel grinned devilishly. “Come with me Roxy,” and he grabbed the blonde’s hands, dragging him up and towards the school’s parking lot.

“Axel! We can’t go anywhere. Class is about to start,” Roxas protested, straining against the hands that continued to pull him towards the vehicles and further away from prying eyes and ears.

“Screw class. This might be the last time we get to do this if your uncle ends up hating me.” Axel pushed Roxas up against his car, and began trailing hungry kisses along the blondes exposed neck. Faintly they could hear the school bell ring, and the sound of students filing back into the building. Everyone was gone and they were alone. Axel flicked his tongue out against soft, pink lips. Meeting no resistance, he pushed his tongue through said lips, deepening the kiss.

 Roxas moaned softly as Axel’s tongue massaged against his own. He grabbed a fistful of Axel’s leather jacket and dragged him closer, pressing their body’s completely flush against one another. Roxas could feel how hard he was from the straining against denim. _Damn jeans_ , he thought. What ultimately made up his mind however was feeling Axel’s own hardness grinding against his hip, yearning for more direct contact. With a gasp, Roxas broke their kiss. Axel’s lips dove back to the crook of Roxas’ neck, finding the sensitive spot that drove the blonde wild.

“Get in the car Axel.” Roxas whispered, giving Axel a gentle push away.

“Really?” The surprise clearly evident in the redhead’s voice. He hadn’t really thought that Roxas would agree to this, as he was rather by the book when it came to matters such as school.

“Yes. Now get in before I change my mind,” Roxas could feel just how red his cheeks were but he couldn’t help being incredibly elated over their act of rebellion.

“Yes, sir!” With a mock salute, Axel unlocked the doors. The two boys threw themselves into the car, quickly doing up seatbelts.

“Where to Roxy? You’re in control,” Axel said, giving the blonde a wink.

“My house,” Roxas replied, staring straight ahead. He couldn’t look at the redhead. He was so turned on he knew that if he looked at him now, they wouldn’t make it out of the parking lot.

“Whoa Roxy, don’t get me wrong I want to fuck your brains out, but I don’t need Cloud cutting my balls off, ya know?” Axel said, clearly alarmed at the suggestion.

“Cloud won’t be home until 5:00. Lots of time to… erm… fuck our brains out.” Roxas choked over his words.

“Okay, well if that’s what you want to do!” Axel laughed.

“It is.” Roxas said, confidence growing with Axel’s merriment.

“Then off we go,” and Axel slammed his car into reverse, sped out of the parking lot, and towards Roxas’ apartment.


	12. Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys, the support is unreal. I started writing this in class one day because I was bored and thought, hey why not? I never thought i'd be posting this to anyone. i can't stop saying thank you to everyone who reads, leaves kudos, comments and bookmarks. 
> 
> (Getting a little personal here, so if you don't want to read this, continue on to the chapter. I still love you anyways)
> 
> I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately, as I've eluded to in previous author notes. Well this past week I hit a breaking point, meaning that I finally admitted i have a problem and reached out. This fanfic, no matter how small, has been something i've been doing simply for me. It's one of the only things that are truly mine (and square enix's duh) and thats why it means everything when people leave love on it. To know that someone is liking what i'm doing is the most amazing thing.
> 
> Thank you all again. and again and again etc. 
> 
> Read, enjoy... Love you all <3
> 
> P.S. SMUT AHEAD lol

“Roxas…” Axel gasped once the blonde broke away, letting him up for air. Their mouths had smashed together the moment they had stepped through the apartment door. Axel vaguely realized they were standing in the living room, and Roxas was kissing him more confidently and lustfully than he ever had. Neither of them had the passionate need dwindle on the car ride over to Roxas’. That was partially because Axel had gone well over the speed limit the entire way there, making the typical fifteen minute car ride only seven.

 Roxas pressed his body against Axel until they were completely flush against one another. He managed to steer Axel towards his bedroom and push him down so that he was sitting on Roxas’ bed. He crawled on top of him, so that he was straddling the long legs. Roxas knew he was being needy and demanding all at the same time, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was the redhead and the delicious sounds he was making underneath him.

 Axel enjoyed Roxas being in control. There were still the needs to dominate Roxas, but those could wait for a while, or at least until Roxas was fully comfortable with it. For now however, Roxas straddling him was enough. Hands continued to fumble with buttons as they both attempted to help the other undress. Skin needed to be freed, touched and kissed.

“Roxy… You smell so damn good,” Axel hummed burying his face into the crook of Roxas’ neck. The scent of vanilla and the faint smell of the ocean sea breeze filled his lungs. _Salty and sweet_ , Axel thought. How fitting for his sea-salt ice cream loving boyfriend.

Roxas moaned in response, grinding himself down against the ever growing hardness in the front of Axel’s pants. The blonde clutched at Axel’s jaw, tilting his chin upwards to allow for better access to the pale skin of his neck. Switching between kisses, bites and licks, Roxas worked his way from Axel’s collarbone to his ear. Axel tried to touch Roxas in return, but the blonde grabbed both of his hands and pinned them above his head, mirroring how Axel had treated him only a day before. Roxas felt the need to make Axel feel good this time, and the sounds were sending blood straight to his groin.

“Roxy,” Axel moaned, as Roxas continued to suck and nip at Axel’s earlobe. “Are you teasing me?”

“Maybe,” Roxas whispered back in a flirtatious tone. He enjoyed hearing Axel’s gasps and moans, but he wanted to hold out long enough to find out just how Axel would handle not being in control of the situation. Roxas was well aware of the redhead’s control issues. The issues were evident every time he talked about his past, and how he couldn’t stop the fire, couldn’t hold back from the flames erupting. However, Axel seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Roxas pinning him down. Roxas rubbed himself against the hardness again, yearning for the warmth of the body beneath.

“You are!” Axel moaned again, “and you’re _enjoying_ this!”

Roxas only hummed in agreement. Somehow they had gotten down to only their underwear, clothes strewn across the bedroom floor. The heat from the bare, pale skin was driving him wild. It was just as good as he remembered from the day before. He had been sure that he had exaggerated it, at least a little bit. But he hadn’t. The warmth, the heat and the overall _burning_ was the most intoxicating thing Roxas had ever experienced, and he was sure it was something he would come back for time and time again.

“How do you want to enjoy me, babe?” Axel purred, sitting up slightly and biting softly on Roxas’ collarbone.

“What?” Roxas shot up, instantly shocked into a state of immobility. He didn’t know what to expect, but Axel’s words were certainly not it. He wanted him to do _enjoy_ him? What did that even mean? It couldn’t possibly mean… No!

“Well it’s up to you, but like I said yesterday, I like both.” Axel looked up at the blonde who still towered over him from his position on the bed. The shining green eyes hiding behind long, dark eyelashes and heavy lids. Axel knew that Roxas wouldn’t be able to say no to the look he was giving him. There was no way.

“Erm… Well, okay.” Roxas face felt as if it were on fire. He was still sore from his escapades with Axel the day before, and what Axel was offering, although foreign, was exhilarating. He felt confident in the power he had over Axel. The redhead truly wanted him, and that filled Roxas with his own lust. He didn’t know that having power over someone like he was over Axel was something that he found to be a turn on. But here he was, turned on immensely.

“Really?” Axel’s eyes lit up, catching up to Roxas’ exhilaration. Axel wasn’t sure if Roxas was going to say yes to him, but he did, and it was sending shivers up his spine.

“Yes?” Roxas squeaked, not meaning for it to come out as a question, but his voice having an ending infliction regardless. Axel’s excitement had caught him off guard.

“You remember how I did it yesterday?” Axel hummed, brushing a strand of blonde hair that had fallen into the gorgeous blue eyes he so desperately wanted to see. Roxas’ face turned a darker shade of red at Axel’s words,

 “I remember.” Roxas pushed himself off of Axel and rushed out of the room. Axel remained on the bed, watching the door Roxas had disappeared out of. After a short moment, Axel pushed himself off the bed and began to look around Roxas’ bedroom, inspecting the photos of a young Roxas living on the island. Axel couldn’t help the smile that crept across his lips at seeing the familiar blonde hair and blue eyes but in a younger body. He didn’t have too long to investigate however, as Roxas quickly came back with two small objects in his hands.

“Where’d you get those?” Axel asked curiously, turning towards the blonde with one eyebrow raised.

“Not important.” Roxas wasn’t about to tell Axel the lube and condom had come from Cloud’s room. He purposefully crossed the room, pushing Axel back down onto the bed. The heat that had been between them had diminished slightly, but just as quickly it began to build between them once again. Lips and hands desperately grasping at one another, seeking an intimate connection.

Axel’s finger nails scratched down Roxas’ back, eliciting a loud moan in response from the blonde. The sudden action threw Roxas into a frenzy, aggressively yanking Axel’s boxers down and releasing the growing erection from constrains of soft fabric. Both emerald and blue eyes were engulfed in a lust filled haze, drinking in the sight of each other’s bare skin. Roxas wrapped his hand around Axel, stroking him up and down at an agonizingly slow pace.

Axel was so overcome with pleasure at the sheer sight of Roxas taking control of him that he immediately began thrusting into Roxas’ fisted hand. He wanted to touch Roxas in the same way, help him feel the same pleasure that he was feeling, but he couldn’t. Roxas still was tucked away in his own underwear, restricting any skin on skin contact. Where Axel was overcome with pleasure, Roxas was enthralled with the way Axel’s brow creased and mouth dropped into an “o” as he basked in the attention his dick was receiving. The sight alone was enough to make Roxas’ own dick twitch.

“Roxas… Please. I want you in me,” Axel growled between panting breaths. The need was driving him insane. All Axel wanted was Roxas; all Axel could feel was Roxas. The world was spinning rapidly around the two of them, and Axel was completely fine with that because the centre was the two of them, nothing else mattered.

Roxas didn’t respond but instead reached for the lube he had grabbed from Cloud’s room. He proceeded to squirt a liberal amount onto his fingers and ever so slowly pressed one digit against Axel. Axel’s quick intake of breath caused Roxas to fully press his first finger into the heat. If Roxas though Axel’s body was warm before, the inside of Axel was absolutely scorching. The thought of what that might feel like wrapped around his dick made him give a low moan. Axel was stroking himself and let his pleasure ring through his voice as Roxas began to stretch him. By the point of getting all three fingers into Axel, Roxas was panting from wanting to be encased in the tight heat so badly.

“You ready?” Roxas gasped, leaning down to give Axel a chaste kiss. He couldn’t wait anymore. The heat below him was for too inviting and the coil in his abdomen was wound far too tightly.

“ _Yes_ ,” Axel replied breathlessly, the room continuing to spin around him. He desperately clawed at the sheets below him, arching his back into Roxas’ gentle touch.

Roxas stood up, pulling his briefs off in one swift motion, then kicking them across the room. Axel followed Roxas’ movements, sitting up and squeezing more lube onto his own hands, eyes never leaving the blonde. He took Roxas into his hand, stroking him languidly. Roxas’ head tilted back as the much needed friction was finally given. The continued for a few moments, making sure Roxas was thoroughly lubed.

“There. I think you’re ready,” Axel murmured, a look of pure lust in his eyes. Roxas was the focal point, with everything else fading away to background noise.

“I’m definitely ready.” Roxas gently pushed Axel back onto the bed, spreading the redhead’s legs apart. Axel felt the pressure against him as Roxas pushed slowly into him. He wanted to slam himself into Roxas, but forced himself to hold back, letting Roxas take the lead.

Roxas could tell Axel wanted more, so he snapped his hips forward, skin against skin making a resounding smack. The motion startled the redhead below him, eyes blown wide in a combination of shock and pleasure. The sight alone was enough for Roxas to want to do it again and again. So the blonde dragged his hips back, slowly pulling out of the tight hole. Just as Axel’s face was beginning to relax, Roxas snapped his hips forward once again.

“Ahh!” Axel cried out as his sweet spot was hit. Despite Roxas’ inexperience, he lucked out on getting just the right place.

“Ax, you feel so damn good,” Roxas moaned breathlessly in response. The tightness was intoxicating. It felt better than anything he had experienced encasing around his dick before.  Roxas drew back and thrust again, causing Axel to grip the bed sheets in pure, unyielding bliss.

Roxas began to move faster, causing both of them to become overly vocal. The room filled with grunts and moans; small panting words that barely formed cohesive sentences flowing between the two of them. Axel began pumping himself in time with Roxas’ thrusts, causing him to see white spots dancing behind his closed eyelids.

It wasn’t long until Roxas was close. The combined sensation of feeling, hearing and seeing Axel so consumed in his pleasure was a sensory overload. It pushed him, propelled him, towards the edge of the vast cliff.

“Ax… ah… I’m so close,” Roxas panted, his thrusts becoming erratic.

“Roxas!” Axel screamed, letting go and releasing himself over his stomach and chest. He had been just as close as Roxas was. The sound of the blonde admitting how close he was to coming, was more than enough to shove Axel over himself. Roxas quickly followed, tumbling through his own orgasm as the tightness squeezed around him. He slumped over Axel, bodies still pressed tightly together. All the energy that Roxas had been sucked out of him. Their skin was sticky and covered in sweat, the only sound in the room being ragged breathing between the two of them.

As he slowly pulled out from his sweaty and grinning boyfriend, Roxas toppled over beside him, body splayed across the bed.

“That was…” Roxas trailed off breathlessly.

“Perfect,” Axel finished. His head was spinning from the overload of emotions. How had he, Axel Sinclair managed to get so lucky? He was pretty sure that he was supposed to be still feeling like shit over his past, but laying there with Roxas caused an abundance of happiness. He rolled over slowly, getting a better look at his lover’s face.

Roxas had the same dopey smile as Axel, as he watched the redhead’s every move. Eye contact established, the boys took the moment to bask in the joy they gave one another.

“You’re kind of amazing, yah know that?” Axel asked, leaning on one elbow.

“Wouldn’t say amazing, but right now I’m definitely happy,” Roxas grinned through the spreading blush across his cheeks.

“Wow Roxy, didn’t expect you to get so mushy on me,” Axel teased with a devilish grin. He playfully tossed the blonde’s hair and kissed his cheek.

“Neither did I. I’ve never been with anyone but Namine and well, that wasn’t really the same,” Roxas mumbled into Axel’s shoulder, snuggling closer to his own personal furnace. He was falling so fast for the boy beside him. Faster than he knew was safe for anyone.

“Roxas I know Axel’s here so I’m going to give you to the count of three to get your asses out into the living room!” Cloud’s voice boomed through the small apartment, jarring the boys from their post-coital bliss. Axel and Roxas leapt from the bed faster than if the bed had been on fire.

“We’re never going to get proper time alone,” Axel grumbled, whipping his underwear and pants back on.

“At this rate, no,” Roxas groaned back, yanking a discarded band tee over his rumpled hair. Of course Cloud would come home right now, right when he was about to tell Axel how deep his feelings were beginning to run.

“One!” Cloud shouted.

“Fuck! Where is my shirt?” Axel swore.

“Two!” The terrifying voice sounded closer now, most likely in the hallway approaching Roxas’ bedroom.

“Here!” Roxas through Axel the shirt he’d scooped off the floor. Axel pulled it over his own rumpled hair swiftly.

“Three!” And the door flew open. The boys stood in their places frozen in fear. Cloud glared between the two of them. Roxas thanked whatever gods there were that the lube got lost somewhere in the sheets and well out of view.

“Roxas, where did you put that paper? I can’t find it anywhere,” Axel easily lied. “Oh, hi Cloud, it’s nice to properly meet you,” Axel extended his hand out to the older man, who took a few seconds to properly deliver a cold glare to the redhead.

“Mmhmm, Axel, I’m going to assume you were doing homework,” Cloud took Axel’s hand regardless and gave it an intimidating shake, causing Axel to wince.

“Cloud, why are you home?” Roxas asked, finally realizing that it was only 4:00 pm and Sora would soon be getting home as well.

“I came home early because I intended to have a conversation with you before he came over, but I see I’m going to have to have it with both of you instead,” Cloud sighed, shaking his head slowly. The older blonde spun on his heel and left the room, making a clear path towards a more public space. A confused glance between the two boys confirmed that neither had a clue to what Cloud was wanting to talk about, but they hastily followed him out of the bedroom.

“Cloud? What’s up?” Roxas hesitated by the couch, unsure if he and Axel should sit on the couch or continue to awkwardly stand in the hall.

“Sit down boys.” The boys sat. “I don’t know if I want you two dating or not, because honestly, I don’t know if I like you Axel,” ice blue eyes glared across the room. Axel gulped but held the glare, not willing to back down too easily.

“But I have a feeling Roxas doesn’t give a shit what I think and is going to do whatever he wants. So we’re going to have this talk and you’re going to shut up and listen,” Cloud continued, not allowing for any interruptions from either of the teens.

Roxas groaned. He had knew what was coming.

“Cloud… Please no.” Roxas pleaded, head buried in his hands. He couldn’t look at his boyfriend or his uncle. This was going to be embarrassing enough without seeing their faces. Axel looked confused, glancing between the Strife family members.

“Roxas, just let me say this and we’ll move on.” Roxas slumped futher into the couch, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Now, I’m not naïve. You guys have sex,” Cloud ground out the words between a clenched teeth. Axel could feel an uncomfortable heat in his face. He wasn’t easily embarrassed but he certainly wasn’t prepared for _this_ talk. Cloud continued on, ignoring the obvious signs from both boys about how uncomfortable they were.

“And I know you guys can’t get pregnant, but you still have to be safe. Be safe, and I won’t get involved in any of it.”

Roxas had his fists pressed into his eyes. He wanted to disappear into the sofa. It wouldn’t have mattered where he’d ended up, so long as it was far away from here. Hell, he’d even go back to Axel’s house if it meant not listening to Cloud talk about sex.

“Erm that seems like a fair deal” Axel mumbled. Roxas was shocked to see his boyfriend who usually exuded confidence to be this embarrassed. He wanted to comfort the redhead, but found his butt firmly planted to the couch.

“Good. Now, Sora and Kairi should be here shortly, so go back into Roxas’ room,” and with that Cloud left the room to go make dinner.

“Roxas, are you okay?”

“Umf, no,” Roxas grumbled behind clenched fists.

“That could have been so much worse,” Axel tried, voice soft and comforting. He had hated the conversation they’d had with Cloud, but he knew that Cloud easily could have ripped them a new one if he had so wanted.

“Something tells me that was just the beginning,” said Roxas, looking up into brilliant green eyes with a look of fear written across his face.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

            Sora and Kairi eventually returned home, grinning and bouncing around the two older boys, oblivious to the tension in the room. Cloud could be heard in the kitchen, the occasional clang of pans reverberating through the small apartment.

            “Why do you guys look like someone died?” Kairi finally asked, looking back at them from whatever videogame her and Sora had started playing.

            “Because I’m pretty sure I might,” Axel hissed at his sister, eyes darting towards the kitchen. Roxas and he sat on opposite couches, refusing to have their bodies touch anywhere even remotely close to being in Cloud’s vicinity.

            “What does that mean?” Sora asked, setting down the controller and turning to face the two older teens. Kairi followed Sora’s actions, also setting down her controller and turning to face them.

            “It means that Cloud is going to release hell at dinner and Axel’s going to be the victim,” Roxas said, voice barely above a whisper so Cloud wouldn’t be able to hear them.

            “He gave us the fucking sex talk,” Axel buried his head into his hands, shaking ever so slightly.

            “Oh shit. Was it that bad?” Sora’s face had visibly paled, as he knew how cold Cloud could be. Both Roxas and Sora loved their uncle and respected him, but Cloud was notorious for being void of emotion. Neither of the brothers were sure if he’d always been like this, as he had only ever been a picture in a frame on their mantel throughout their childhoods.

            “Dinner’s ready so get your asses in here,” Cloud called from the kitchen. The four teens all looked at each other and simultaneously stood up, bracing themselves for the hell that was about to be unleashed.

           

            “So how was your day at school guys? Roxas, I already know you skipped the afternoon, presumably with Axel. Mind telling me where you were?” Cloud said, not letting anyone actually answer his question. Trying not to choke on his food, Roxas hesitantly swallowed before answering.

            “We were here.”

            Axel silently ate his food, refusing to look up at either his boyfriend or Cloud.

            “And what were you doing here?” Cloud persisted, eyebrows raising. Roxas felt his face catch fire. Sora and Kairi looked at each other, realizing that neither of them wanted to be sitting there. Neither Axel nor Roxas answered immediately, both horrified at the conversation. Cloud let the boys stew in their embarrassment, waiting for one of them to speak.

            It was Axel who finally broke the silence, looking up at Cloud and meeting his glare with a deadpan expression.

            “Since everyone knows we do it anyways, I might as well just say it. Roxas and I were having sex. Safe sex, but passionate, fantastic sex.”

            Cloud gripped his fork harder and slammed the tines into the table, causing the fork to get stuck in the wood. Roxas let out a whimper as the abrasive sound hit his ears. He’d never experienced Cloud’s full wrath but he knew he was about to.

            “Sora, Kairi. Take your food to the living room. Now.” The two did so without any hesitation. The moment they were out of sight, Cloud shot up out of his chair. Axel followed suit, keeping eye contact with the older man. Roxas looked between them, fear running through him like hot lava.

            “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kick your ass right now,” Cloud growled.

            “Because you yourself said it was fine if we were safe!” Axel yelled back. His blood boiled beneath his skin, hands sparking at his fingertips.

            “Not in my house while you both should be at school!” Cloud’s fists clenched, bracing himself to fully throw a punch at Axel.

            “Please stop…” Roxas whimpered. No one heard him. Roxas was a fly on the wall, a fly who was about to witness a full on fist fight if he didn’t make himself known.

            “Well we sure as fuck couldn’t go back to mine!” Axel countered, body shaking from overwhelming anger.

            “Why not?” Cloud yelled back. He wasn’t sure why he asked or if he really cared to know what the answer was, but he found himself asking anyways.

            “Because my father’s a fucking psycho that would kill me and Roxas if he ever found out!” Axel broke as he screamed the truth. His words seemed to physically wound him. He buckled to the floor, knees hitting the linoleum. Realizing how reckless he and Roxas had been the day before, was more than he could bare. He could feel the eternal flames lick at his hands, wanting to unleash the burning sensation. Roxas was by his side, running his hands down Axel’s back in an attempt to comfort the broken boy.

            “Axel… I’m sorry. I didn’t know that your home life was like that,” Cloud whispered, kneeling next to the two boys.

            Axel began to feel the heat fade in him, the fight that had been brewing dissipating in front of him.  Axel could feel his body shaking violently. He didn’t know what to do with himself and all the attention that was being thrust upon him by the blonde members of the Strife family. Roxas continued to gently stroke his back, murmuring comforting words into his ear. Cloud had stayed in his position next to the two boys, unsure of what was actually happening.

            Cloud had heard the rumors of Axel’s abilities, as he was one of the paramedics who had come to the school’s aide, but it had all been mere speculations at the time. For all anyone knew, it had just been some kids messing around with lighters. The heat that had flooded the room had told Cloud otherwise however. Had Axel really been the cause of the fire? Cloud didn’t want to believe it but he no longer could deny that his suspicions about Axel being a danger were right. He watched the two boys calm down, and thought about Axel’s words that had broken him.

 If his home life was like that, Cloud understood the boy. Cloud had grown up in a home that was filled with hate and restrictions. He knew the pain that came out of that kind of situation; the self-loathing and agony. The war raged within him, and then he found the decision between letting Roxas continue to date Axel or to kick the redhead out and let him figure his own shit out.

“I’m okay now I think,” Axel whispered, all confidence lost. He could see the pain he had caused in Roxas and could feel the anger and confusion radiating off of Cloud.

“I’m sorry for the outburst, Cloud. I have no excuse,” Axel said, voice still hushed.

Cloud’s head snapped up at the apology, his confusion evaporating. Everything became crystal clear in that moment.

“I’m sorry I judged you before I knew you. I can tell how deeply you care for Rox. If I’d known that you had problems at home…” Cloud trailed off, words getting lost on his tongue. How do you tell someone that you understand? How do you tell someone that you yourself had felt the same pain?

“You’d take pity on me?” Axel nearly sneered. He hated pity more than anything. The difference between pity and empathy was massive to the redhead. Empathy was someone taking the time to understand and sympathise, where with people pitying him, all they did was feel bad for him. It was unneeded, unessecary.

“No, I would have understood. Roxas, did your dad ever tell you why I lived so far away?” Cloud asked, looking between the two teens crouched together on his kitchen floor.

“He only ever said that you moved out at the age of sixteen,” Roxas replied, looking away from Axel for the first time since the redhead had fallen to the floor. Roxas was confused as to where this was going, for as far as he was aware, Cloud had left on his choice alone.

“That’s true, but the reason why is that our Dad found out I was bi, and threatened to kill me if I didn’t leave,” Cloud met Axel’s eyes, a bond forming over the common pain. “I didn’t have a choice, so I left. I never bothered telling your Dad exactly why I left, as it only would have hurt his relationship with our father.”

Roxas didn’t say a word, only staring blankly at his uncle. Axel was also stunned, and couldn’t help wondering if he would end up just like Cloud.

“Are you guys alright in there?” Sora called from the other room, worried because of the lack of shouting he and Kairi could hear from the living room.

“Yah Sora, we’re all good,” Cloud called back, leaning back against the kitchen counter, tension finally leaving his shoulders and back.

With no warning, Sora burst back into the kitchen, “Okay good ‘cause I was still hungry.”

The group burst into almost hysterical laughter, the brunette cracking a large smile as he shoveled a second helping onto his empty plate. Tension was gone amongst the group, and understanding between them had finally arisen.

Axel breathed a sigh of relief as he looked between his boyfriend and his family. He was accepted by a group of people besides his friends. Accepted by the people related to the person he loved. Axel decided that it wouldn’t matter what happened with his own family, because for once in Axel’s life, he felt whole.


End file.
